Into the Fire
by The Angels Will Always Cry
Summary: '"Em." Malik said, peering over her shoulder. The Nightmaster had to be here somewhere. "Where's the Nightmaster?" he asked. His little sister stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, the corner of her lip curling. "Give me the ring, brother." Emarni said.' SEQUEL TO INTO THE DARK Ingrid/Malik, OC/Chloe, Bertrand/OC. [CHAPTER SEVEN UP]
1. Chapter One

_SUMMARY: Three years after the events of Into the Dark and Emarni's mental health is beginning to deteriorate. She's working under somebody else's name- working as the Nightmaster. The demons showed her the light, told her that family would be her downfall. Since them, she hasn't seen her brother or her girlfriend or the rest of her family. She feels alone, she feels crazy. She feels like her mother. __And a mysterious visitor and his daughter turn up, claiming to know Emarni's missing niece. The man that visits her is just like her because he too has come back from the dead. Death itself has been stopped by the Council of Elders- but what is their ultimate plan? And how can anything be solved when the Draculas are falling apart? _

_Hello, my lovelies. I'm back with the sequel and quite quickly too! Remarkably quick, some would say. The first chapter- as the summary briefly mentions- has another person that has returned from the dead. A familiar face. Emarni always explains what happens in Romania but she was already going mad at the time so she's quite vague. I'll probably explain more later on. Just... Roll with me, okay? _

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

There was a faint patter of footsteps and a thump as something leapt from the roof. There was a metallic rattle as something knocked a bin over. Something hit the ground running, dodging behind a pile of old crates waiting to be shipped away to a foreign country. There was a snarl like an animal's.  
"Hello?" Aaron called out into the darkness, "I'm armed, I warn you." He was gripping a power stone with a pentagram carved into it and painted with demon blood. The something, or somebody, swore under it's/her/his breath. This kill wouldn't be as easy. Aaron wasn't an idiot, he knew that there were rogue creatures on the loose. His friend, Katherine Mistletoe, had warned him about the wild demons. The Council had been breeding some more of their own kind.  
"Whatever it is, I can handle you." he slid his power stone into his pocket and drew a sharp sword. It was an angel blade, a rare sword doused in holy water and given to the earth by angels. It had Aaron's name scratched down the side of it and had been a present from his father. His last present from his dead father. His father who was killed by demons.  
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Aaron said, spinning the blade around in his hand. All was silent except for the blade whooshing through the air. Maybe it had gone away. Aaron slid the blade back into his belt and was tackled to the ground, in the same instant. A boy was sitting on top of him.  
"Tristan!" Aaron growled, "You probably scared it off."  
"What?" Tristan frowned, innocently. He got to his feet, pulling Aaron up with him. The pair exchanged looks.  
"The demon vampire werewolf thing!" Aaron growled. There was a loud metallic clank from behind them and the pair spun around. There was nothing there.  
"This is insane." Tristan whispered, "You're paranoid."  
"If I'm paranoid, why are you whispering?" Tristan didn't have an answer for that one. He brushed his wavy hair back, pushing a loose strand behind his ear. He had hair that most boys would kill for, thick wavy hair that fell in beautiful waves. Heck, most girls would kill for that hair.  
"You think it's the Nightmaster?" Tristan whispered. The Nightmaster was a killer that was slowly murdering every hunter, slayer, demon, vampire and human that he came across. He hunted at night, during the witching hour.  
"Boo." someone said, in the quietest and laziest tone that the boys had ever heard.

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As they spun around to face the demon vampire werewolf thing, both demon slayers were taken aback. Aaron drew his blade, Tristan's hand went to the power crystal that hung around his neck. A girl slunk out of the shadows, a dark, murderous look in her eyes.  
"Emarni Vaccaria." Tristan said, in disbelief, "Oh my angels, you're alive?" Everyone had heard about Emarni, Malik and Katherine being held in the Vaccaria dungeon. Everyone thought that Emarni had died from the Council's extensive torture sessions. But there she was, before their very eyes.  
"Yes." Emarni said, her lip curling. She looked pretty awful with dark shadows underneath her eyes, her skin pale and damaged. She was heavily bruised on her face and arms. Her hair was black with dirt, blood streaked through it.  
"How? How? How?" Aaron looked at her with interest. She was a fascinating girl, if the stories were true.  
"How, my dear boy?" Emarni smirked, "You wish to know how I survived?" She took a step closer, her trainer brushing against Aaron's combat boot. He stared her in the eyes and she gave him a look of pure detestation.  
"Even I do not know how." Emarni breathed on his face, her breath ragged with the smell of dead flesh. The boy winced but held his ground.  
"You've been feeding." Tristan said. He shot the vampire a look and her eyes flickered to him.  
"I heard you were a ghost." Aaron said, "Killed by a kind of skin rot?" His eyes were a shade of grey like the kind that lay on the bottom of river beds, water splashing over them. They were full of fear, his pupils darting back and forth. But his voice was steady.  
"I was." Emarni said. In almost slow motion, she shrugged her jacket off her shoulders. She held out her arm for her to see. Her skin was impeccable, not a mark upon it.  
"You're not a ghost anymore?" Tristan said.  
"Why is that?" Aaron asked, his fingers pressing into the girl's wrist. His fingers traced the faint outline of her dead veins that lingered in her arm. Her eyes glowed a faint shade of red, warning him off.  
"The demons brought me back." Emarni said, "They brought me back." A smile crossed her face as if she were happy, "They showed me the light." Her hand thrust into his chest and she grabbed his heart, gripping it between her fingers. Aaron let out a gasp, his heart slowly turning cold.  
"I will make it quick." Emarni whispered to him. She pulled the heart from his chest and held it up for Tristan to see. That was it for Aaron, his dead body dropping to the floor.  
"Wait, we're friends of Katherine's!" Tristan yelled. A smirk on her face, Emarni wringed out Aaron's heart as if it were a wet towel. Blood splattered everywhere, covering the girl's hands and body. Blood splashed on the pavement, spilling into a puddle on the ground.  
"You really think that will stop me? Katherine?" Emarni kicked Tristan in the chest and knocked him off his feet. He skidded backwards, clutching his power stone as he fell. He pulled the stone from the chain that it was hung on and threw it. It landed between him and the vampire, power blasting from it. Sunlight shone in all directions in the pitch of night. Emarni gave a gasp, falling to her knees. Her skin visibly began to burn, eating her outside in. Her flesh blackened.

Emarni threw out her hand and the sunlight was sucked into her outstretched hand, vanishing from the night. She channelled it into a single ray of energy, which flew from her hand and into Tristan. The boy hit a nearby parked car and fell over it, sliding across the hood and hitting the ground with a smash. Blood began to drip from his head and Emarni smelt it, the scent filling her mouth and nose. She licked her lips. Then, she heard more footsteps. These were different ones, not human- they belonged to them. She could hear the rubber soles of the girl's sneakers, the click of spiky high heels from the other girl and the pounding footsteps from the boy's heavy boots. It was them.

Quickly, Emarni darted into another alleyway, close enough for her to watch. The trio sped around the corner, onto the scene almost the instant Emarni left it. She had resist the urge to snarl.  
"It's him again." Chloe said, drawing her crossbow, "The Nightmaster?" That was the name that they had given to the creature behind the killings. The headlines dominated even the breather newspapers. It was quite amusing to the blonde girl that lurked in the shadows that everyone would fear her so much.  
"I think so." Malik said, bending over Aaron's broken body. He checked that the boy was well and truly dead, before kicking the body aside. No use for it now. Chloe was not so quick to dismiss it, checking for any form of identification.  
"Too late." Emarni murmured under her breath with a smirk. She had already thought ahead and taken the boy's wallet- she flipped it open now and looked at it with amusement. Aaron Alderstairs, Demonhunter. The other boy's wallet was almost identical except for the names. Emarni shoved both wallets in her jacket pocket. She wasn't as stupid as the others had always assumed. They were nothing to her, the demons had shown her that.  
"We have to catch him before he gets to Seraphina." Ingrid said. She always said that, used the Seraphina card. It was her way of getting people to do what she wanted.  
"Or Emarni." Chloe said. At the sound of her own name, Emarni snarled- she hated the way her name sounded in the half fang's mouth- and the vampires spun to face the alleyway. They couldn't see her, she was sure of it.  
"Nightmaster?" Chloe called out.  
"Or one of the Servants of the Night?" Malik suggested. Ah, the Servants of the Night. The lovely servants that Emarni had talked into working for her. They adored their mistress. After all, she was a beautiful role model and they were only children. Children were the easiest servants you could employ; easy to destroy and required no pay. The trio began to walk towards Emarni as the girl backed further into the shadows. She hit a fence.  
"Who is it?" Ingrid drew a stake, the point sharper than a knife. Emarni leapt over the fence and made a run for it, running into the night.

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She didn't have to go far, her lair was nearby. It was dark as she swept into her huge house that she had stolen. At least it used to be a mansion belonging to a very rich man but she had killed the man and converted his home into a lair.  
"Good night hunting, Mistress Emarni?" Nia asked, taking the vampire's jacket from her shoulders. Nia had been promoted to looking after Emarni, hand and foot, after blowing up the Slayer's guild with very little help. Nearly all the slayers had been killed. The girl had been eager to work up close with the vampire ever since she had joined the Servants. Emarni ruffled the girl's dark braids.  
"Not awful, Nia, not awful." The blonde girl said, walking over to her computers. One of her other servants was sitting at the computers. He looked up to her, looking like he'd seen a goddess, and shook his head. Nothing on the monitors.  
"Any new threats?" Emarni asked casually, "Any deaths? Any sightings? Anything at all?" No matter what she suggested, the Servants shook their heads. With a sigh, Emarni began up the stairs.  
"Would you like me to try and contact Malik?" Nia asked, following the girl up the stairs. Her mistress spun around, her eyes flaming and her fangs on show.  
"Do not say his name in this house!" Emarni screamed, "I saw him tonight, Nia! Three years after Romania and I saw him. And I hate him even more now!"  
"I just think that he could be a useful ally-"  
"The demons showed me the light! Family will be my downfall!" Emarni shrieked, her hands shaking out of control. They did that when she was angry. She took a moment to calm herself down before continuing in a calm tone.  
"My family is my greatest enemy. Love is my second greatest enemy. I will destroy both and then I shall reign over the world. The Nightmaster will rule!" Emarni said.  
"But you're not really going to kill your brother, are you?" Nia said, doubtfully. No matter how much Emarni insisted that she had "seen the light", Nia wouldn't believe that the girl would kill Malik. She didn't have the guts for it and she wouldn't be able to cope with the guilt.  
"Of course I am going to kill him. Slowly and painfully." Emarni snarled. Then, she ran upstairs to wash the blood off.

She showered quickly, scrubbing the blood from her face and hands. Blood turned crusty and horrible against her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. Like a human would feel after rolling around in their favourite food. As she pulled her t-shirt on, Emarni looked down at her skinny rib cage and poked herself in the stomach. She really was getting very skinny.  
"So, that's why people are staring..." Emarni murmured, "That and the fact that the only people I have seen, I have killed." She laughed lightly and began to pull her jeans on. It had been three years since Emarni had last seen her brother. She had been running away from him in Romania. Emarni saw the light, the demons had told her the truth.  
"Family is your enemy. Family will get you killed. Again." The head of Council had told her- he told her not to call him Julian.  
"You could be the ruler of this world." he had said, "You're very special, Emarni. Family is what's dragging you down, stopping you. You for need them."  
"But... My brother. He means everything to me." Emarni had protested weakly, "And Chloe... I love Chloe..."  
"She abandoned you." The demon had snarled.  
"I suppose you are right." Emarni's head had tilted slightly to one side. She was strapped into an electric chair, which wouldn't kill her but maybe hurt her a great deal.  
"Of course I'm right." he had stared her directly in the eyes and she had a sudden desire to believe him. She nodded. She saw the light.

When Malik, Katherine and Ingrid had kicked down the door, claiming to be there to rescue her, Emarni darted past them and out of the door. She spat at her brother as she passed him and ran for the hills.  
"Emarni!" he had yelled after her, "What the hell, Em?" She hadn't seem him since. Until tonight. It had been such a shock to see him there, in the flesh. Such a horrible shock.  
"Miss Emarni?" Nia knocked on the door before pushing it open, "There's someone waiting for you in the unliving room." The blonde girl spun around, her curls bouncing up and down. A frown was on her face.  
"Well, they will have to wait." Emarni said, "It is almost daytime."  
"He says it's urgent." Nia said, "And with all due respect, I think you should see him." She held open the door for her mistress, as the annoyed vampire slunk from the room. If it was urgent, then she supposed she better see whoever it was.

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She was sure that she had seen him somewhere before but she couldn't place where. The man had thick dark curls and a frown on his face. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. Maybe, he was a distant relative? Or perhaps a friend of Emarni's mother? Or somebody investigating the Nightmaster?  
"Sorry, Miss. He said that it was important." Nia apologised, looking incredibly nervous. With a scowl, Emarni crossed her arms.  
"How did you find me? Who are you?" she demanded. The man looked up from where he was studying her monitors. She had been using them to keep watch and find the right moments to kill her victims- when they were alone and out of sight.  
"My name is Bertrand De Fortunesa." the man said, smiling a little, "I assume you are Miss Vaccaria? The Nightmaster, they're calling you nowadays?" She ignored his question, waving it aside with a sweep of her hand. She took a step forward, uncrossing her arms.  
"How... Did... You... Find... Me?" Emarni demanded, slapping across the face with every word. He winced a little, looking at her.  
"Someone got out the wrong side of the coffin." Bertrand said, "They didn't mention that you were moody."  
"I am a female vampire, it comes with the territory." Emarni said. Her eyes flashed red and she took another step forward. She reached out and grabbed Bertrand by the throat.  
"She's a fighter too. Excellent." Bertrand smiled at her, like she was amusing him. The girl threw him back down, knowing that she wasn't going to get an answer through force. He staggered backwards, hitting the wall with a thump.  
"What do you want with me?" Emarni snarled.  
"I want your help with something." Bertrand said.  
"Why would you trust me? Because I get the feeling that you know my family history." Emarni said.  
"I know where your niece is. Seraphina." Bertrand said. And that changed everything. Not taking her eyes off Bertrand, Emarni sat down on the sofa and tucked her feet underneath her. Suddenly, she was the friendliest person Bertrand had ever met. How interesting.  
"Nia, get some of our best blood for our guest." Emarni said, offering Bertrand her best smile, "Sit down, have a drink." It sounded more like an order than a friendly gesture. With a tense smile in return, Bertrand took the seat opposite her.  
"So, you have a soft spot for your little niece?" Bertrand said.  
"You know where she is?" Emarni raised an eyebrow, avoiding the question. Her servant girl handed her a bottle of blood and set a pair of glasses down on the table. Smiling, Emarni tore the lid off the bottle and poured the cold blood into a glass. She pushed it towards Bertrand before pouring a drink of her own.  
"I know where she is. She's a friend of my daughter's." Bertrand said, taking a sip from his glass, "But there's something I want in return."  
"Please, enlighten me." Emarni said, "Or shall we waste the rest of the night on endless chitchat?"  
"I was told that you were a whimsical, empty headed child." Bertrand said, "But you seem like a very mature young lady who knows exactly what she's doing." He held up his glass, as if he were toasting to her. She watched him, casually leaning against her sofa. She picked at the nail varnish on her fingers.  
"You are hopelessly misinformed." Emarni said, "That was the old me. The ghost me. This is the new me. The living me. Well, not quite living. And, actually I am a psychopath."  
"The demons breathed life into you." Bertrand said, "Most people would die from that but you... You are quite remarkable." The girl leant forward and picked up her glass.  
"I am an Absolutuus-Mortuus." Emarni clinked glasses with him, "Now, what do you want from me?"  
"A place to stay. A place to work. A place for my child." Bertrand said, "My home has been taken by the demons." The girl considered his offer. She did want to reclaim Seraphina before her family did and make sure that child was brought up right. Some wanted the child as a weapon but Emarni would make her the weapon of all weapons. She would put the child to good use and use her to destroy the Dracula clan, like Elisabetta had wanted. She wanted to avenge her mother, who- she now realised- had been right all along. Bertrand held out his hand.  
"It is a deal." Emarni shook his outstretched hand, "Do not make me regret this, De Fortunesa."

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His daughter was peculiar looking. She had been waiting outside, sitting on her dark blue suitcase as Bertrand spoke to Emarni. The girl had dark brown eyes with a look of wisdom that you didn't normally see in the eyes of a child. Her hair was long and dark too, neatly cut with a fringe. She was an intriguing child that acted a lot older than she was.  
"Anna?" Her father took her by the hand.  
"Did Miss Emarni say that we could stay?" The girl asked, standing up. She had been instructed firmly that she was to call their host either Miss Emarni or Mistress Emarni. Good manners are a sign of good upbringing, her father often reminded her.  
"Yes. But you are not to tell her about your gift." Bertrand said to her. The girl tilted her head slightly to one side. Her father forbid her from talking about her gift to other children as well as adults. If people found out, he always said, they might try to steal you away from me.  
"Of course, Father." Anna said. She took the handle of her suitcase in her other hand, pulling it along behind them as they entered the house. It was nothing like Anna had imagined. The house was dimly lit, only candles lighting the hallway. The walls were bare except for the wallpaper that had mostly been torn away by what looked like claws. The floor was covered in wooden boards that creaked when you stood on them. The three year old gripped her father's hand a little tighter.  
"Hello Anna." The door slammed shut behind them. There was a blonde girl that towered over the small child. Her eyes were hollows of madness and she looked the kind of person that Anna would normally try to avoid.  
"H-h-hello." Anna managed a small curtsey, "Miss Em-Emarni?" She was unnerved and that made the other girl laugh.  
"Such a beautiful child." Emarni said, coldly. That confused Anna, for she had never thought of herself as beautiful. She never thought about her looks as three year olds rarely do. Emarni knelt beside the child and inspected her, as if she were an accessory that she were thinking of buying. The small child winced as Emarni touched her face gently. Her fingers were ice cold and as dead as the rest of her.  
"I used to be beautiful like you. Now, look what I have become. A monster that lurks in the shadows. A killer!" On the last word, Emarni poked Anna in the chest and the girl shrieked a little.  
"I am just messing with you." Emarni said, but she didn't sound like she was. She sounded like a crazy person, like a psychopath. Because, guess what? She was.

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_Thanking you for reading, my lovelies. Please, read and review. _

_- Angels, xox._


	2. Chapter Two

_SORRY FOR THE WAIT FOR THIS CHAPTER. I was busy... Uh... *glances nervously at where I have the Young Dracula cast tied up and gagged* Totally not kidnapping people in a sinister black van...__I kid you, my Lovelies! (Maybe...). __I don't really have much else to say except that I forgot to add a disclaimer on chapter one sooooooooo: _

_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YOUNG DRACULA OR ANYTHING ACCOSIARED WITH IT. (I do own Emarni, Seraphina, Anna, Grayson and Katherine, which I am very happy about.) _

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

It was hard for Anna to sleep when the window panes kept rattling in the storm. She wasn't sure whether it was night or day anymore. Time seemed to disappear in this place, vanishing just as quickly as any kind of sanity. Emarni was crazy, of that Anna was sure. Who else would have monitors to stalk people that she was thinking of killing? That was definitely a sign of craziness. It worried Anna that her father might go crazy too, influenced by the blonde girl's ideas and schemes.

And whilst Anna had never been afraid of monsters living under her coffin, she couldn't shift the feeling that there was something there. Living under the peculiar invention that was called a bed- she had never slept in one before in her life, as her father had given her only the best of the best- was a creature of some sort. A living, breathing thing. If she dared get out of bed, she was sure that it would snatch at her foot and pull her under. But she couldn't stay here forever.  
"I want my father." Anna said quietly to nobody but herself. A tear slid down her pale cheek- she scarcely cried, especially for a child of her age. But her father was downstairs. Downstairs with Emarni. Slowly, Anna edged towards the edge of her bed. She peered over the side; nothing. She put one hand on the ground tentatively and waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing grabbed her and tried to drag her into the underworld. She put her other down on the floor. The floorboards creaked underneath the weight of her small hands. She rolled off the bed, pushing on her hands and landing on her knees. It didn't hurt her.  
"Okay." Anna let out a small sigh of relief. No monsters, but just in case, she crawled as quickly as she could out of the room- she wasn't going to risk her chances with the monster under the bed. The floorboards sounded louder than drums, squeaking and creaking, even though she weighed barely anything. She turned the door handle, cringing as it squeaked. She pushed the door open gently and heard the murmur of distance voices from downstairs. She knew her father's voice and she heard the slightly higher tone that must belong to Emarni.  
"I was a ghost." the girl was saying, "And now I am a vampire again. Pray, De Fortunesa, explain this to me."  
"I do not understand it myself, Miss Vaccaria." Anna's father replied, "The demons have lifted the veil between death and life. I was once dead too but I returned a while ago." Anna gasped. He had been dead? Her father had been dead? Then, she remembered that she wasn't meant to be listening and slapped both hands over her mouth. She hoped that they had not heard her; she had a feeling that Emarni would not take kindly to eavesdropping.  
"It is a bizarre feeling, is it not?" Emarni sighed and Anna dared to edge out of her room. She crept over to the top of the stairs and listened intently.  
"Why would the demons lift the veil anyway?" Emarni said, "I thought they wanted people to die?"  
"Let me explain this to you in a way that your girlish brain will understand." The man said patronisingly. And there was a slap, as Emarni hit Anna's father. Anna let out a small gasp. She crept further down the stairs until she could see the shadows of the figures. Emarni was standing with her hands on her hips and Anna's father was standing with his hands in his pockets. He didn't look hurt but it was hard to tell from just looking at his shadows.  
"The Council don't want everyone to die. They don't want to bring back dead people." Bertrand said, "They want to be in control of death. We were just a few harmless experiments." Demons? Experiments? It was all beyond Anna. She was only a young girl; roughly three and three quarters.  
"I am an experiment?" Emarni sounded disgusted; and quite rightly too, Anna thought, "A test subject for their dark plans?"  
"I suppose you were easier to bring back." Bertrand said, "Because the demons killed you. Since they were the ones that caused your death, it was easier for them to reverse it. Do you understand, Miss Vaccaria?"  
"A little." Emarni replied. There was a sigh from the girl and her shadow shifted a little as she turned away from Anna's father. Maybe she didn't want him to see her expression?  
"Why do they want control of death?" Emarni asked, "Why? I thought The Council were above caring for such frivolous matters."  
"If the demons gain control of death, I fear for us all." Bertrand said, "Especially us. Once they're done experimenting, they'll toss us aside like rag dolls and Seraphina will be lost forever." At the thought of her father dying, Anna whimpered a little. Her father had always reassured her that they were safe from harm, that nothing was going to get either of them. That they would lead happy and careful unlives. A stair creaked beneath her foot and Anna caught her breath.  
"What was that?" Her father said and his shadow shifted as he turned around. He stepped towards the staircase. His daughter held her breath, trying not to move.  
"Everything creaks in this old house." Emarni said, "I would not worry." She seemed reluctant to believe that mastering death could be achieved- especially by demons. Anna's father turned away from the stairs and Anna sighed in relief.  
"Death cannot be mastered." Emarni scoffed, "You are an imbecile, De Fortunesa. I imagine it is genetic?" There was a swift movement and Emarni let out a small gasp. Anna's father had grabbed her and slammed her body against the wall.  
"You dare to say something against the De Fortunesa's?" Anna's father snarled, showing his fangs. Anna ran down the stairs, thumpety-thump, until she reached the bottom. Her father and Emarni were standing incredibly close together, the girl struggling against his grip.

"Stop it!" Anna cried, "Stop it, just stop!" Both vampires looked at her in surprise. Then, Emarni regained her composure and offered the girl a scowl.  
"Little brat!" Emarni snapped.  
"Anna." Anna's father dropped the other vampire and backed away from her, "What are you doing up?"  
"I was scared." Anna said. The older girl looked at her in disgust like it was her own fault that she was scared.  
"What were you scared of?" Her father asked, kneeling down to her height.  
"Monsters under the bed." Anna said, looking down at the ground.  
"Oh, grow up!" Emarni growled, rolling her eyes. But there was different expression in her glass green eyes. A sort of sadness like she was remembering something that she would rather forget.  
"Come on, Anna." Her father took her by the hand, leading the girl back up the stairs. Glancing back over her shoulder, Anna saw that the other vampire was glaring after her. She wondered why Emarni was so unhappy all the time.  
"Don't stare, Anna. It's impolite." Anna's father steered her back into her bedroom. Hesitantly, the girl crossed the room and climbed back into the giant bed. The covers were heavy and it felt like they were there to strap her to the bed. Anna missed her coffin.  
"Why is Miss Emarni so upset?" Anna asked. The bed sighed as her father sat on her bed. A wisp of Anna's brown hair had escaped from her tight braid; her father pushed it back behind her ear.  
"She's not upset. She's confused." Anna's father said. He had a tired expression on his face like he had been suffering a great deal.  
"About what?" Anna frowned, lying back on her pillows. They were too soft and she sank into them, cushions blocking her vision.  
"The demons are playing with her mind." Anna's father said, "Putting ideas in her head."  
"Why doesn't she fight them?" Anna asked, "I thought she was a Dracula." She rolled her r's to a perfection. She knew all about the legendary Draculas.

There was Vladimir Dracula, the Chosen One. He was currently away at a boarding school, hidden away by his father to keep him from harm. Anna's father had once known him personally, though Anna was not sure how. Then, there was Vladimir's older sister Ingrid. She was one of the most beautiful and powerful vampiresses in all of the lands. She was the mother of the long missing Princess Seraphina. The father of Seraphina was Malik Vaccaria. Who Anna's father had described as being: "a tall, annoying idiot with a motorcycle". Then, there was The Count. His title spoke for itself, the Prince of Darkness, Count Dracula himself. There were various other close friends and relatives that Anna's father had taught to the small girl; Chloe Branaugh, Georgina Giles, Grayson, Mina Van Helsing, etc.

Emarni Vaccaria was tall and willowy with thick blonde curls. And she was the second oldest of the Draculas, the aunt to the missing princess. Though Seraphina wasn't technically a Princess, everybody said that she was. They called her the Princess Seraphina and everybody had been looking for her for years. She was supposed to be one of the loveliest, most beautiful-ist Princess ever. Anna had been hoping to meet her one day; she thought that they could be good friends. For some reason, Bertrand had insisted that Anna pretend to know Seraphina.  
"It's the only way to get close to Emarni." Bertrand had said to her, "Promise that you'll play along."  
"Of course, Father." Anna had replied. So, they had got in with Emarni.

"Maybe she's too scared." Her father said, "Or maybe she doesn't know how."  
"Is it scary having demons in your head?" Anna asked. Her father just smiled sadly at her and touched her cheek lightly, before leaving the room. Anna didn't want to be left alone in the dark. Definitely not when demons were poking into people's brain and monsters were under beds.

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She had tracked them down to a minimum of twenty seven different places. She had been judging by the speed of how quickly it took them to get to the scene of the crime. She knew that they had to be nearby, at least close to Liverpool.  
"What are you doing?" Bertrand asked, looking up from his book. Glancing at the title, Emarni felt a little insulted, ("The Dark Arts and The Insane That Dabble in Them")- she dabbled in the dark arts and certainly was not insane.  
"Working." Emarni said, "I wonder if I could use witchcraft..." She began to murmur under her breath, examining the map that was pinned to the wall. She was being watched with mild concern by Bertrand, who put his book down. After a few minutes, the blonde girl was approached by one of her servants.  
"Miss Emarni? Anything I can do to help?" the girl curtseyed nervously, tugging at the hem of her mistress's shirt. When she got no response, she poked Emarni in the arm. The older girl slapped her across the face and knocked the small girl over.  
"Miss Emarni?" The girl popped back up, "Anything I can do? Anything at all?"  
"No!" Emarni growled, "Get lost, you pathetic imbecile!" The smaller girl darted out of the room, a look of fear behind her masked eyes.  
"Who are you looking for?" Bertrand wandered over to where Emarni was standing, studying the map that was pinned to the wall. Locations had been pinpointed with notes scrawled beside them in handwriting- and spelling- that resembled a five year old's. Bertrand was tempted to comment on the fact that the girl couldn't spell the simplest words.  
"Nobody." Emarni said.  
"Your brother?" Bertrand made a guess and was rewarded by a glare from the younger vampire. She put her hands on her hips, giving Bertrand a look filled with hatred and filth.  
"Why would I care about him?" Emarni said, "He is an imbecile."  
"Ah, yes, Malik Vaccaria. I remember him well. The idiot with the motorcycle and the stupid jacket with the fringing." Bertrand said. That was his official name for him. He didn't notice the girl cringe slightly at his words.  
"If you don't care about him, why are you looking for him?" Bertrand demanded, but he had pushed her too far.  
"I took you and your little brat in." Emarni snarled, "Do you want to stay or not?" Bertrand didn't have a reply for that so he just sat down and resumed his book.

Once he was sure that Emarni was in a good enough mood again, Bertrand sprung his plan on her. She was knelt on the floor beside the lit fireplace, staring into the flames with an odd look in her eyes. A small smile was on her face as if she were thinking of something that amused her. He stood behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the sudden contract and looked up at him, frowning in confusion.  
"You startled me, De Fortunesa." Emarni said in a dreamy voice. She sounded as if she were in a trance.  
"My apologies, Miss Vaccaria." Bertrand said.  
"So, what can I help you with?" Emarni said, snapping out of her trance. She looked up at him with her big eyes and long elegant eyelashes. She really did have very beautiful eyes. But she really wasn't Bertrand's type.  
"I've got a plan." Bertrand said.  
"Your plan?" Emarni asked, kneeling up a little. She loved a good plan. It was always good to have a plan.  
"I used to tutor Vlad. I was his friend." Bertrand said. He waited for the shocked gasp but only received a nod. Like she had already figured that out. Or maybe she had done a background check on Bertrand.  
"Your point?" Emarni raised an eyebrow. She was unsure of where the plan was going.  
"I could get close to them." Bertrand said, "And I could take Anna. That way: you find your brother and we can destroy the Draculas."  
"Get close to them?" Emarni offered him a grin, "De Fortunesa, maybe you are not a complete idiot." He ignored that comment.  
"I shall write to The Count." Bertrand said, "Ask him if I might see Vlad." The girl nodded, before turning back to face the fireplace. Her hand crept towards the fireplace, her fingers tapping against the cobbled floor. The tips of her fingers touched the glowing flames.  
"Are you crazy?" Bertrand said and was firmly shushed. The girl gradually forced the rest of her hand into the flames. The flesh began to crisp slowly. The older man was forced to pull the younger girl away from the flames, a firm look in his eyes.  
"What has got into you today?" Bertrand said, "  
"I... My mind was elsewhere." Emarni said, shaking her head. Her curls, which had been loosely tied up, fell around her shoulders. She looked sad, her hair blocking her eyes.  
"What were you thinking about?" Bertrand wondered curiously. She was certainly an intriguing character. Bertrand thought that she would be more like her mother from what he had heard; but the girl was entirely her own person.  
"That is none of your business. Just get writing with that letter." The girl instructed, offering him a dark look. She wasn't going to discuss the matter further, sweeping out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Emarni's older brother was standing in the hallway of his newest home. The Draculas had moved around a lot to stop the Nightmaster closing in on them, never staying the same place twice; the Count was terrified of being killed. He would always say:  
"I don't want that assassin murdering me, though I do approve of his methods and flawless execution." Then, he would flick somebody's forehead with his hand. The Nightmaster certainly was a threat to the Draculas- as were the Council of Elders. In fact, everyone was out to get the Draculas.  
"What're you thinking about?" Chloe asked, walking down the stairs and up to Malik. He was staring at the doors, his eyes glazed over.  
"It's been over three years." he said, not taking his gaze off the door, "Should we give up?"  
"On Seraphina?" Chloe said.  
"Well, her too. Obviously. She's my daughter. But I meant Emarni. Ever coming back." Malik said, "Do you miss her?" He didn't want to admit to missing his sister first. The girl looked at him and without even thinking about it, nodded.  
"But she's not coming back." Chloe said, "She hates us now, remember?"  
"I think the demons brainwashed her." Malik said, "Either that or she's even more like Mum than I thought."  
"She's nothing like your mother." Chloe said, who had been told everyone about Elisabetta. She had been studying psychopaths in an attempt to find the Nightmaster and obviously Emarni's mother was top of the list. After finding out about what her mother did to her, Chloe felt even worse for her ex-girlfriend.  
"You'd be surprised." Malik said, "I've seen the two of them together."  
"They can't be that alike. Emarni's too nice." Chloe said.  
"She's just scared. You know that? Emarni is scared." Malik said, "And probably dying in a gutter." They both stood for a little while longer, thinking to themselves. Then, Chloe went upstairs to her room.

She had always kept Emarni's stuff, normally in a box in the back of her wardrobe, moving it whenever they moved house- well, mansions. The Count wouldn't settle for anything smaller than a mansion. Now, Chloe reached for the box and pulled it out of her wardrobe. She placed it on the floor in the middle of the room and lifted the lid off the box. The fresh scent of Emarni hit Chloe hard. Cinnamon and strawberries, all her belongings folded neatly in the box.  
"Emarni..." Chloe sighed. There were a pair of Emarni's many converse sneakers- dark purple- and her scuffed jeans with holes torn in them. There were various shirts, long tops, dresses and t-shirts folded up next to the shoes. Then, there was Emarni's shower gel and her shampoo and conditioner. Chloe sniffed them and sighed wistfully.  
"Oh my god, please tell me that this is a joke." Ingrid said, from the doorway. Slamming the lid back on the box, Chloe turned to glare at her.  
"Ever heard of knocking?" she snapped.  
"Ooh, touchy!" Ingrid said, "And the door was left wide open. Don't tell me that you're still hooked on Emarni?" She had her arms crossed and was looking rather amused.  
"She's your sister. You must miss her." Chloe growled, "And what about your daughter? You could at least pretend to miss Seraphina?" The other girl cringed a little at the name but stood her ground.  
"They're probably dead." Ingrid snapped, "There's no chance of finding them now. Why don't you just give up? I have!" Slowly, Chloe rose to her feet, pushing the box aside with her foot. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hand.  
"Emarni's not dead. She's smart enough to keep herself alive." Chloe snapped. She took a step closer to the girl, her fangs showing.  
"She's not smart enough for anything." Ingrid smirked, "She's an airheaded, whimsical little idiot. She's long gone and you're just scared to admit it."  
"Shut up, Ingrid!" Chloe snarled, "Stop acting like you don't care! Your sister and your daughter could be dead right now!"  
"I've given up!" Ingrid said, "Can't you see that? There's nothing I can do so I've stopped trying! Why can't you stop lying to yourself, Chloe?"  
"Maybe I have hope!" Chloe yelled, slamming the door shut. Tears of anger sprung to her eyes as she slid the box back into a wardrobe and climbed into her coffin- oh yeah, she had a coffin now. She wiped the tears from her face furiously. She'd show that Ingrid. She'd find Emarni and Seraphina first.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

"They will be your downfall, they will be your downfall..." Emarni kept muttering to herself as she stared out at the moonlight street. The stars shone brightly in the sky that night, making the street light up. She wondered about Bertrand and why he had been killed and by whom. He hadn't wanted to say, which meant that it was someone that Emarni knew. She wondered about the Little Brat and how she knew Seraphina. The girl still had not mentioned that, not even speaking of Seraphina as a friend but more of an enemy. But no matter what Emarni wondered, her mind always went back to one thing. Malik.  
"How does Bertrand know Malik? I know how he knows Vladimir but how does he know Malik?" Emarni asked the night. There was no reply from the sky of stars.  
"Stupid world! Answer my questions!" Emarni yelled, throwing a book at the sky. It fell to the ground with a dull thump and there was still no answer. She growled.  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid world. No wonder Mother shut you out." Emarni muttered. She was sitting on the window seat, her feet tucked beneath her. Anna stood in the doorway and watched her, perfectly still.  
"Mother was right." Emarni said, "She was right about everything." Her hand instinctively went to where her locket used to hang around her neck. Then, she remembered. She had thrown it away.  
"Miss Emarni?" Anna said gently, "Are you okay?" She regretted speaking the minute Emarni spun around to face her, her eyes flaming.  
"Get out, you little brat!" Emarni yelled, "I am perfectly fine!" The smaller girl whimpered but didn't move an inch.  
"Why are you so sad?" Anna asked, "Why must you keep torturing yourself?"  
"How old are you child?" Emarni sighed.  
"Seven." Anna said. The older girl looked her up and down doubtfully. It was true, Anna spoke as if she was very old, almost like an adult. But she was a little thing with scared brown eyes, her hands trembling. She could not be any more than four if that.  
"Then maybe, just maybe, I can explain to you." Emarni said, without softening her tone, "Come here." Nervously, Anna stumbled over to where the older girl was sitting and stood beside her.  
"When I was your age, I only had my mother to care for me, much like how you only have your father to care for you." Emarni explained to her; the small child nodded and waited for further explanation.  
"My mother was intent on killing my father and family. At the time, I thought that it was wrong to kill family. But when I was captured by demons last year, they showed me the truth." Emarni said, "My mother was always right."  
"It is wrong to kill your family." Anna insisted. She was pushed away by the other girl.  
"I knew that you would not understand." Emarni sighed, "Nobody does."  
"Just because you're scared, it doesn't mean that you have to kill anyone!" Anna cried, "Killing innocent people is an awful thing to do."  
"Sometimes." Emarni said, "You have no other choice. Now, run and cry to your Daddy, you little brat."

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

_Please read and review, my Lovelies. (Note to self: find better name for readers)_

_- Angels xox_


	3. Chapter Three

_Okay, so I'm quite proud of where this story is going. This chapter has some Emarni/Chloe, some Emarni/Bertrand, some Emarni/Malik, (brotherly-sisterly love, don't get dirty minded). There hasn't been much Malik/Ingrid so far but there will be later in the story. So just calm thouselves. Oh, and if you have any ideas of stuff to put in, just say! (Note: there will be some more council stuff and hopefully some Vlad later on)_

_Oh, and I did proofread this but my brain is mush so some stuff might be written wrong but nothing major. _

_DISCLAIMER: Obviously, I don't own Young Dracula or it would have been cancelled years ago. _

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

The girl was sitting at the desk beside Bertrand, headphones on top of her curls. She leaned back on her chair and sighed, her chair tilting so that she almost fell. She spun around on it, getting all tangled up in the wires. Whatever she was doing, she just didn't seem to be able to sit still. Bertrand watched her with mild amusement, enjoying the way that Emarni's blonde curls flew out around her head whenever she moved. They had been sitting there for ten hours straight, hoping for either: a letter from the Draculas or a sighting of one of her victims. Bertrand has asked her how she choose her victims, who all seemed totally random.  
"In this world, some people are Actors and other people are Chorus." Emarni said, in a bored tone, "The Actors are people who could potentially ruin my plans. Chorus members are more irrelevant." She brushed her curls out of her eyes.  
"What an interesting analysis." Bertrand said, "But how can you tell the Actors from the Chorus members?" The girl frowned at her like she was unsure of how to answer. She readjusted the headset on her head, pushing her curls back over her shoulders.  
"I can just... Tell." Emarni shrugged, "I get a sort of tingly feeling under my skin and I just know." They hadn't spoken since then. As Emarni fiddled with her headset once more, finally something happened. An image flashed up on one of the screens; a girl was leaving what looked like a pub but when Bertrand looked closer, he realised that it was a Blood Bank- Vlad had had them set up recently.  
"Miss Vaccaria, we have a sighting!" a voice said over the headset.  
"Who is that?" Bertrand said, "An Actor?"  
"Hold on, I'm zooming in." the child's voice told them and the image was enlarged and enhanced. The girl was a reasonable height with blonde hair and she looked like she was crying. She stumbled along the dark alleyway, one hand pressed to the wall. Maybe she was a little tipsy or perhaps depressed.  
"We've identified it as Chloe Branaugh." the child's voice said. Emarni froze, her grip on her headset tightening. She let out a small squeak and fell off her chair.  
"Miss Vaccaria, are you quite alright?" Bertrand was forced to ask as the girl looked up at him. Her green eyes were wide and she didn't even attempt to get up.  
"No." Emarni said, simply. She lay there a few moments more, staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, Emarni knelt up and spoke into her headset.  
"I will be right out there." she said, then she turned to Nia, "I am going to need a weapon."  
"Of course, Miss Emarni." Nia said, walking over to the weapons room.  
"Do you know Chloe Branaugh?" Bertrand said, watching Emarni struggle to her feet. Her masked servants moved quickly, helping her into her combat boots and clipping her cape around her neck.  
"Yes." Emarni said, simply; she took the bow and arrow that Nia was offering her and studied it, "Garlic tipped arrow?" She guessed. The girl nodded.  
"I may be gone awhile. Stay here." Emarni instructed Bertrand, tying her hair back. She didn't want Chloe to recognise her, Bertrand realised.  
"What's going on?" Anna asked.  
"Move, you little brat." Emarni shoved the child out of the way and strode out of the room, her cape flowing behind her.  
"She's going to kill someone." Bertrand told his daughter, whom he held close; he stroked her brunette head and added, "She's going to kill Chloe Branaugh."

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Emarni was crouched on the rooftop, bow and arrows strapped to her side. The tips of the arrows were covered to prevent them from burning her. She could see the girl from where she was. Chloe Branaugh had fallen over, slumped against the alleyway. It was easy, too easy. It had to be a trick. Quietly, Emarni drew her bow and removed the tip from the arrow. The metallic grounding sound was a mistake. She noticed movement in the shadows. Branaugh was not alone.  
"They've got you surrounded." Bertrand said, over the headset.  
"I could have figured that out." Emarni whispered back to him. She saw her brother standing in the shadows- he couldn't see her yet. These incidents were too close together. She had seen her brother twice in one week and that couldn't be a coincident. He was on to her.  
"Anyone behind me?" Emarni hissed.  
"Yes. Uh... Ingrid." Bertrand said, "Their only weak spot is to your left. That's just Georgina Giles and she's blind according to these files. Just don't shoot-" Emarni shot. The arrow whizzed through the air and was grabbed by Malik, before it could hit Chloe's chest.  
"Grab him!" Malik yelled. Then, everyone moved. Two or three people lunged for Emarni, who was already on her feet and moving. She sped out of the way, heading to the left. She leapt down from the roof and hit the ground at an odd angle, her leg crippling under her body. She hit the ground, her leg crushed by her body. She groaned and got back up. No permanent damage to her leg but her ankle felt like hell warmed up. She didn't manage to dodge George, who pinned the girl to the ground. She let out a small cry as she landed on her bad ankle again.  
"Get off, you imbecile!" Emarni snarled, kicking the girl off her. She rammed an arrow into the girl's rib cage and then wriggled free of her grip.  
"He's escaped!" George yelled. Thankfully, she hadn't recognised Emarni's voice.  
"To the left!" Ingrid yelled. There was the sound of movement as the Draculas all moved towards Emarni. They hadn't seen her yet. She readied her bow, drawing it quickly. She ducked behind the hair that had fallen loose at the front, making a last minute attempt to hide her face.  
"Emarni, trust me on this." Bertrand said, "Drop the weapons and the headset. We've got you covered." Slightly confused, Emarni removed her cape and dropped it to the ground. She threw her bow and arrows down.  
"Pretend to be hurt. This is going to work, I know it. I know your family." Bertrand said. She didn't think she'd have to pretend. She pulled her headset off and tossed it away. With a sigh, Emarni collapsed to the ground and frowned hard as she landed on her ankle. She didn't have to force the tears to spring to her eyes. She stared at the ground, sobbing to herself. And who would skid around the corner, but her older brother. He stared at her in shock.  
"Emarni?" Malik said, "What-?"  
"The Nightmaster." Emarni sobbed, catching onto Bertrand's plan, "I, I, I, I-" She crumbled into tears and her brother watched her uneasily.  
"Em. Uh, Em. It's okay." Malik said, awkwardly, "Uh, let's go home, okay? Chloe's going to be really happy to see you." He grabbed his sister by the hand and tried to pull her to her feet. She stayed limp on the ground, her legs crumpled beneath her. It hurt an awful lot.  
"Look who it is." Ingrid said, distastefully, "The little freak."  
"Ingrid, that's my sister; we share the same genes." Malik reminded her. He looked at his sister uneasily, unsure of what to do. Rolling her eyes, Ingrid grabbed Emarni by her cloak and pulled her to her feet. The girl whimpered.  
"Ankle." the girl squeaked. Malik put an arm around her and helped her stumble away.  
"Come on, Blondie." Ingrid said, "Let's move along."

It wasn't at all surprising that Chloe was the first one at their side, throwing her arms around Emarni tightly. She hugged her tightly.  
"Emarni!" Chloe squealed in delight, "You're okay!"  
"Help." Emarni choked as the girl hugged her tightly.  
"Who is it? What's going on?" George demanded. There was still an arrow rammed into her side, blood dripping from her. She hadn't noticed yet, the pain hadn't reached her yet.  
"It's just Emarni." Ingrid rolled her eyes.  
"Emarni!" George grinned. The girl herself- Emarni that is- gave a weak smile and her eyes glittered with tears.  
"My ankle really hurts" Emarni admitted, her lip wobbling. Her brother pulled her into his arms and held her there, holding her close to him.  
"Aw, look at that." Ingrid mocked, "Malik's being all brotherly and protective."  
"My sister was nearly murdered by a mass criminal, who's victims have never survived before." Malik snapped back at her. Clearly, their relationship was still having problems.  
"I thought you were dead." Chloe whispered, pressing a hand to her kind of girlfriend's face. The girl looked back at her, her glass green eyes shining. The bad lighting bounced off the girl's curls.  
"I am okay." Emarni said, "But the Nightmaster is after us all. Can we leave?"

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?" Chloe said. They were sitting on the roof of the current Dracula home. Shuffling a little closer to her girlfriend, Chloe judged the expression on her face. Emarni less refusing to look at her, avoiding her eyes entirely.  
"A few times." Emarni said, "But I am certain that you were lying." She didn't look at Chloe, just out at the street below.  
"Would I lie to you?" Chloe said, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. She had to lean over because Emarni was backing away.  
"Chloe, I have done some terrible things." Emarni said. The look her face was grave and serious.  
"That's okay." Chloe said, "I understand." She pulled the other girl into her lap and Emarni rested her head against the girl's chest. She didn't try and wriggle free. She just lay there, looking up at the sky.  
"I just... I..." she spluttered, her eyes filling with tears. She wiped her eyes quickly and tried to take a deep breath- it came out as a sob.  
"It's okay, you know." Chloe said, "I saw earlier."  
"What?" Emarni said.  
"You were crying." Chloe said, "Like now." The girl couldn't stop the tears spurting from her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. She clung to Chloe, sobbing heavily on her girlfriend's top.  
"You always try to hide it." Chloe said, "To cover up your tears. But you don't have to." She wrapped an arm around her girlfriend, touching the girl's face.  
"Oh bats, you are making it worse." Emarni said, tears running down her face.  
"At least you're not wearing make-up. That would make it worse." Chloe said and both of them laughed lightly.  
"May I, Miss Vacaria?" Chloe pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at the other girl's eyes. Giggling uneasily, both of the girls looked at each other and smiled. They caught each other's eyes and looked away; then, again; then, again!  
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked.  
"Everyone keeps asking that." Emarni said, "I am fine. I am okay."  
"It's pretty cold out here." Chloe said thoughtfully.  
"Your point?" Emarni asked. Look into those deep green eyes, Chloe felt unsettled. There was too much darkness in those glowing green eyes for it to be natural. Emarni looked different. Physically, as well as emotionally. She looked darker, more shadows beneath her eyes and less of a curl to her hair. Her figure was more defined because her clothes were tighter and all black.  
"You are staring." Emarni said.  
"You look different." Chloe said. She shrugged off her jacket and offered it to her girlfriend.  
"Vampires do not get cold." Emarni said, as she slid her arms into the jacket sleeves and pulled it on slowly.  
"You look more like you now." Chloe said, "Brings out your eyes."  
"Thank you." Emarni smiled softly.

Eventually, they had to climb back down into the house. Emarni limped along with only Chloe to support her, gripping her by the arm. She kept stumbling and the pair giggled everytime, Chloe barely catching the girl. Something about it just felt wrong to both of them. Emarni felt like a liar, a despicable lying little biatch; Chloe felt like something was wrong, like Emarni was keeping something back from her.  
"Hello Ladies." Malik said, joining the giggly pair.  
"Hello Malik." Chloe and Emarni said in perfect synchronisation.  
"Can we save the creepiness for later?" Malik asked, "Chloe, may I borrow my sister?"  
"Depends: do I honestly get an option here?" Chloe grinned.  
"No option whatsoever. I'm stealing her." Malik said, grabbing his sister by the arm.  
"Hey!" Emarni protested, as she was dragged away. She stumbled and her brother caught her.  
"Why are you being so brotherly?" Emarni said, "It is creepy and not like you and I do not like it at all."  
"Maybe I missed you. A little. Not much. Just a bit." Malik said; he frowned at her, "Your ankle that bad?"  
"Honestly?" Emarni said, receiving a nod, "It kills." After a pause, Malik said:  
"You miss me?"  
"Nope." Emarni lied. She hadn't missed him at all, until she had seen him the other night. Then, homesickness had hit her in waves. Giving her a look, her brother swept her up in his arms.  
"Put me down!" Emarni squealed, "Malik, put me down!"  
"Family tradition." Malik said, "All that are new to the household get dumped in the lake. Head first."  
"That is not a family tradition." Emarni said.  
"It's a Vaccaria family tradition. Mother always tried to drown visitors in the lake." Malik said and his sister laughed.  
"I did not know that."  
"It's true."  
"But you hate being a Vaccaria."  
"Doesn't mean I'm not one." Malik said. They reached the front door and Malik turned to nudge it open. The girl squealed as they spun around, her hair flying out around her face.  
"What are you two doing?" The Count demanded, appearing rather suddenly to glare at them.  
"Hello Father." Emarni and Malik said in synchronisation.  
"Oh, my two most hated children." The Count said, just realising who it was; from the distance, he had been unsure of who it had been, "Malik, what are you doing to your sister?"  
"I'm going to dunk her in the lake. Failing that, a pond." Malik said, "I thought you'd approve of a little bullying." That was when Emarni realised that her brother had changed too. He was nicer but at the same time, even less nice. He was even more Malik-y.  
"I always approve of bullying you know that. Is the girl staying?" The Count asked, giving her a look that said that he hoped not.  
"Definitely." Malik said.  
"Maybe." Emarni said, at the exact same time.  
"Well, have fun drowning, Emma or Eva or whatever your name is." The Count said.  
"Emarni!" the siblings yelled at him, as Malik carried her out of the door.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Sitting in the unliving room, she had to try so hard not to laugh. Everything was falling into place and her own family were playing straight into her hands. And it was just so... So perfect! She chewed her lip to stop herself laughing.  
"Are you okay, Emarni?" George had asked, drying the girl's hair for her, "Really, properly okay?" The Vaccaria girl couldn't trust herself to speak without laughing so she simply nodded and looked down until George had gone.  
"I thought you were joking." Emarni said now, shaking her head. Water droplets flew from her hair, splashing her brother.  
"You didn't need to pull me in with you." Malik groaned. His sister crossed her arms and kept chewing her lip to stop herself laughing.  
"So, you didn't miss a lot." Malik told her. It was true that Ingrid was never going to let him forget this, about being brotherly and all; but Emarni was his sister and they did have a special bond. One built on shaky trust.  
"Me and Ingrid are doing fine. We've been looking for Seraphina." Malik said, "She's still missing."  
"How old would Seraphina be now?" Emarni said, trying not to giggle. Everything was going so well.  
"Three and a half." Malik sighed, "Ingrid's pretending like she doesn't even care."  
"Do you care?"  
"I'm not sure. I don't really want a daughter."  
"You would be an awful father."  
"Hey!" Malik protested and Emarni couldn't stop herself giggling. She laughed, letting out a short burst of giggles before smothering them with her hand.  
"Not funny." Malik said, but the corner of his lip was twitching.  
"You know." Emarni said, bringing out her solemn expression, "The Nightmaster had a little girl captive- a girl about three years old." She pretended to look like she couldn't make any sort of connection. Her brother's expression changed; he looked just as serious as she did.  
"What?" Malik said.  
"Yes." Emarni said, thinking of Anna, "She was very irritating; a small brunette, dark eyes, very intelligent for her age..." That was all she had to say to lure her brother into her trap.  
"Ingrid!" Malik yelled, "Ingrid, I think we might've found Sef!" He stared at his sister for a second, getting to his feet, "Don't move, Emarni." The second he was out of the room, yelling for Ingrid, his sister moved.

She moved fast, making sure to make it look like a kidnapping. She knew where the Draculas were, had managed to map out the floor plan and knew all the entrances. She knew that in a few weeks they were due to move somewhere else. She knew that they were going to focus on finding the Nightmaster now. And since she was the Nightmaster, knowing their next move was important, because she knew how to respond. Carefully, she plunged her fist into the window and climbed through it. She let out a scream.  
"Emarni!" Chloe yelped and then there were footsteps. She was running down the stairs. But Emarni was already gone, disappeared into the night.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She stepped inside her home and was greeted by two young girls, both of whom hugged her tightly. Then, Anna seemed to realise that she had her arms around the strange vampiress. She pulled back quickly.  
"They worried that you might not be returning, Miss Vaccaria." Bertrand said, "However, I knew that you would be fine."  
"Of course, I am perfectly fine, De Fortunesa." Emarni said, "How are you? Coping without me around to keep you in line?" The man raised an eyebrow at her, so she added with a grin, "Just teasing." He had never seen her grin before; she had small dimples in her cheeks and incredibly white teeth. One side of her mouth was raised slightly higher than the other, making her mouth a little lopsided- just enough to be mildly attractive. Mildly being the key word.  
"Are you really okay?" Anna asked, standing on tiptoe; she looked up at the girl, her dark eyes full of concern. In that moment, Emarni was reminded so strongly of George that she had to look away. The grin slid from her face. She swallowed the sudden feeling of homesickness hard.  
"Get away from me, you ugly little brat!" Emarni snapped, shoving the girl off her, "I said, I am fine! Get lost!"  
"Miss Emarni, can I-?" Nia tried, looking up at her mistress hopefully.  
"No!" Emarni growled, "Just leave me alone!" She stamped away, hurting on the inside. She found herself being followed; but not by Nia, as she normally was.

"Emarni, what's going on?" Bertrand said, running up the stairs after her. She ignored him and kept up the stairs, her arms firmly crossed.  
"Emarni!" Bertrand insisted, "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"  
"Because nothing is going on!" Emarni snapped, "And it is Miss Emarni to you."  
"Alright, Miss Emarni." Bertrand said, "What's going on? I thought we were working together."  
"We are not working together. I am working, you are simply assisting me." Emarni said. She reached the top of the stairs and turned around, a hand on her hip.  
"Why are you following me around?" Emarni yelled at him.  
"Because I have a feeling that you might try to throw yourself off the roof or something." Bertrand said calmly.  
"And you would do what?" Emarni demanded, "Applaud?"  
"I'd stop you." Bertrand said.  
"Why?" The girl growled. Bertrand followed the girl into her room and watched as she slid into the window seat. It was her favourite place in the house, Bertrand realised. Judging by the creases in the cushions there, she slept there sometimes. The curtains were a little open, enough to see the sky.  
"You're wearing her jacket." Bertrand said.  
"What?" That threw Emarni off completely. She looked down and saw that he was right. She was wearing Chloe Branaugh's jacket and she could tell because her name was written on her pocket. It was a bright shade of green and it brought out the colour in Emarni's eyes.  
"Oh. I forgot." Emarni said and she went to tug it off.  
"No." Bertrand said.  
"No, De Fortunesa?" Emarni replied.  
"It brings out your eyes. Suits you." Bertrand said.  
'Brings out your eyes.' Chloe had also said.  
"Your point?" Emarni said.  
'It's pretty cold out here.' Chloe had said.  
'Your point?' Emarni had replied to her too.  
"Just keep it on." Bertrand said, "And tell me what's bothering you." He had gradually moved closer to the girl, now standing next to her. Emarni looked up at him and slumped further down in her seat, playing with the hem of her borrowed jacket.  
"I hate them so much." she said, "I want them to die and use their skin as wallpaper."  
"But?" Bertrand said, "What's bothering you?"  
"I miss them. I want to go home." Emarni said; she curled up, resting her chin on her knees, with a sigh, "When I was there, it seemed like they really missed me. And Chloe let me cry on her on a rooftop and Malik and I pushed each other in a lake and I just-"  
"They're not your family anymore, Emarni." Bertrand said, "No, my apologies- Miss Emarni."  
"Are you happy now?" the girl demanded, "I told you everything."  
"That doesn't make me happy." Bertrand said.  
"Luckily, your happiness is not my concern." the girl said. They stayed there awhile, both of them silent. Emarni seemed to have lost the will to carry on talking.

"Why do you even care?" she said rather suddenly, "Why do you stay with me, De Fortunesa?" The girl was still curled up, resembling a cat. The man looked up from where he had been deep in thought; his hands were folded together. Weirdly, he had been thinking about Emarni, wondering why she was suddenly so emotional.  
"Did you get hurt?" Bertrand wanted to know.  
"What?" Emarni said.  
"Earlier, I was watching you on the cameras." That sounded creepy, "And I saw you land badly on your ankle."  
"No, I am fine."  
"Can I look?"  
"What? No!"  
"Miss Emarni." That was his stern voice. He was using a stern voice on her. That made Emarni cringe a little.  
"Please." Bertrand said, "Please, Miss Emarni."  
"Fine." Emarni rolled her eyes. She leant over her shoes and untied the one on her left foot carefully. She winced, suddenly aware of the stinging pain in her foot.  
"Let me help."  
"No, I got it."  
"Miss Emarni."  
"She used to do that."  
"What?" Bertrand was confused. The girl didn't elaborate. He moved to sit beside her and watched her remove her shoe. She winced again and Bertrand went to help her.  
"What is with you today?" Emarni snapped, hitting him away and easing her shoe off her foot, "You are being so overprotective. And I know exactly what you are doing."  
"Oh?" Bertrand said.  
"You are trying to replace Malik." Emarni said, "Trying to make me feel better. I am correct, am I not?" She wasn't wearing any socks. She rolled her jeans up.  
"No, you're not correct." Bertrand said; he pressed his hands to the girl's ankle, "Do this hurt?" The girl winced.  
"Only a little." she said, "Barely anything. I have been hurt more by a fork. It hurts that little."  
"A fork?" Bertrand chuckled, "You are such a peculiar girl." He massaged the girl's ankle a little, rubbing the skin and bone. His hands were surprisingly gentle against her own soft skin. Her ankle was even paler and smoother than the rest of her.  
"Ooh." Emarni said, "That feels nice. Ooh." She grinned, showing her white teeth.

"Why do you care though?" Emarni said, later, "You will not answer me."  
"I don't know, Miss Emarni." Bertrand said.  
"Just Emarni will be fine." the girl said, "But can you leave now? I need some time to think."

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

_Please read and review, my lovelies. (I'm sticking with calling you that so HA!) _

_Question: What would Emarni and Chloe's couple name be? :) Or Bertrand and Emarni's? (I'm in a shipping sort of mode, sorry)._

_- Angels xox_

_P.S. Please excuse my madness._


	4. Chapter Four

_Long chapter, wooooooooo. Sorry that it took a while to write and that there is slightly too much Emrand... So, yeah. Demons are controlling death, Nia has found Emarni's locket and Ingrid goes to visit Vlad at his school. My brain is messed up. I don't have anything else to say except ALLONS-Y! _

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

He wondered if she was awake yet and if it would be weird for him to wake her up. He had been awake all day, reading books in a phenomenally large library. It made him wonder if Emarni liked to read and why she would want such a large library. And where on earth did she get all the books? She must have been here a fair amount of years and yet it had taken ages for him to find her.  
"Clever girl." Bertrand murmured, flicking through a book on shapeshifting. He could've sworn that he used to have an identical one.  
"Master Bertrand." a boy in a mask said, "I didn't know you were in here." He looked taken aback as if nobody was normally found in the library. Perhaps nobody did- Bertrand had never seen anybody go into the library before, now that he thought about it.  
"Is Emarni awake?" Bertrand wanted to know.  
"Perhaps." The boy shrugged, "She has a highly irregular sleeping pattern. You can wake her if it's urgent."  
"It's not urgent, I just wanted to fix her ankle." Bertrand said. He had found a medical kit and if her ankle wasn't fixed, it could get much worse. Also, he sort of wanted to see her. Just to say good morning.  
"I'm sure she'd enjoy that." the boy smiled like he was sharing an inside joke.  
"What on earth do you mean?" Bertrand looked down on the boy. The boy was edging towards a bookshelf, glancing at it hopefully.  
"Miss Emarni has certainly taken an interest in you." The boy said, "The last time she had a visitor, she didn't take to them well."  
"The last time?" Bertrand frowned. He thought he was the first to find Emarni but... He was the second? Somebody out there was more intelligent than him.  
"It was a man. Called Grayson." the boy said, "Miss Emarni flew off the handle."  
"Grayson?" Bertrand tried not to sound too shocked but failed. He had known Grayson well- they had been friends for a while. The last time he had seen him was three years ago.  
"She drove a stake between his shoulder blades." the boy said. Quickly, he snatched a book from a shelf and rammed it up his shirt. He looked nervous.  
"Miss Emarni doesn't normally let people in here." he confirmed Bertrand's suspicions.  
"Why ever not?" Bertrand said, looking around. The library was old and worn, like the own creatures allowed in were the spiders to spin the cobwebs. But it was beautiful too; with high arched ceilings, shelves full of books with names printed on the spines in gold, swirling writing and the candles that lit the room dimly smelt strongly like cinnamon. Like Emarni's hair. Wait, how did Bertrand know what the girl's hair smelt like?  
"I don't know, Master Bertrand." the boy looked at Bertrand and then left, a book still rammed up his shirt. He left Bertrand to decide whether it was worth waking Emarni.

He walked up the stairs slowly, counting them as he went. When he reached Emarni's door, he paused before knocking gently on the door. Maybe she wouldn't hear him. There was a distinct murmur from inside. He took that as a "yes" or perhaps a "come in" and pushed the door open- it was a little ajar anyway.  
"Hello Emarni." Bertrand smiled at the sight of her. She was flopped in the window seat, curled up like a cat- in all seriousness, was she part cat? Her messy curls were splayed around her face, her pretty eyes slightly open. Wait, why was he describing her eyes as pretty? They weren't pretty, just peculiar. A peculiar shade of green and almost triangular shape, specks of darker shades filling her irises. Weird eyes. Weird- not pretty- eyes.  
"Did you sleep there?" Bertrand asked, smiling. The girl gave him a lazy nod and turned away from him. He stood awkwardly in the doorway and found his eyes drifting to the small of Emarni's back. Her shirt had been tugged up a little too high and the pale skin of her back was on show.  
"I'm sorry to wake you." he added, trying to stop staring.  
"It... It is fine..." Emarni yawned, "What can I... Do for you?"  
"I was just wondering if I could bandage your ankle." Bertrand said, "To stop it getting worse." That sounded stupid. He sounded stupid. She probably thought he was stupid. Wait, why did he care what Emarni thought?  
"It is probably healed by... By now. I am a vampire... After all..." Emarni mumbled, "Can I go back to sleep now?"  
"Come on, Emarni." Bertrand said, "Up you get." And he lifted the girl out of her nest of cushions, one hand under her head, the other under her waist. His hand brushed against the bare skin of her back, enjoying how soft it was against his hand. Self consciously, Emarni tugged her shirt down a little and Bertrand found himself feeling disappointed.  
"Blood and garlic." Emarni muttered, a smile tugging at her lips, "Your desire to play the hero is most amusing."  
"Amusing?" Bertrand raised an eyebrow.  
"Very." Emarni said. Carefully, he lowered her onto her bed and the girl sat up, staring at him intently. Her forehead was a little creased- she seemed more confused and innocent in the morning. Bertrand wasn't enjoying it and yet... It was sort of... Sweet? No! The man took the girl's ankle and began to bandage it, both of them watching.  
"Did you sleep well?" Bertrand said, aware that his face was only inches away from the girl's. Up close, her hair smelt rather like burnt and blackened cinnamon. Dead cinnamon. Maybe she was the kind of person that set fire to cinnamon to watch it burn- if such a person could exist. Bertrand's brain was a little muddled on the matter of Emarni.  
"What?" Emarni looked up and they smacked foreheads.  
"Blood and garlic!" Bertrand exclaimed.  
"Ow!" Emarni said, bursting into a fit of giggles. Still giggling, she leant forward and they brushed foreheads again- but more gently- as Bertrand tightened the bandage. He could feel her shaking with silent laughter.  
"I... I slept... Poorly." Emarni said, once she had managed to regain her composure. Her curls brushed against Bertrand's face, mingling with his own dark curls. They tickled the side of his face and made him smile.  
"Hm?" Bertrand said, glancing up at her. She was extraordinarily close, her hair and skin even touching Bertrand's own. He felt a little uneasy.  
"Yes, I had an awful dream." Emarni said, edging a little away from the man.  
"Involving what?" Bertrand felt oddly concerned and that worried him. He didn't care for Emarni, did he? It wasn't as if he actually liked her.  
"It does not matter." Emarni shrugged. Catching her eye accidentally, Bertrand knotted the bandage and edged away from her a little. There was a shine of sadness in Emarni's eye.  
"A problem shared is a problem halved?" Bertrand said. That was Cliché. For a second, Emarni's eyes just bore into him, eating away at his soul; up close, her eyes weren't just the same shade of green but flecked with darker shades too. The girl flopped back on her bed, throwing her arms out dramatically.  
"Mother." she sighed, staring up at the ceiling.  
"Elisabetta." Bertrand realised. He had forgotten that the shapeshifter was Emarni's mother; there was no resemblance between them whatsoever. Except perhaps the slightly crazed look in the eyes.  
"She scared me as a child." Emarni said, "She was always locking herself away and she had a habit of lashing out when she was angry. She used to hit me." The girl sounded sad. And Bertrand realised something:

Emarni was horrible to her servants, the children that cared for her on a day to day basis. She would slap them or push them over, whenever she was angry or upset. She had locked herself away and shut the world out, only leaving the house to kill or feed. The fact of the matter was that Emarni was turning into her mother. So slowly that she hadn't even noticed. It wasn't the kind of thing that he could tell her.

"Mother was right." Emarni said, "She knew what she was doing." Those words made Bertrand feel sorry for the poor girl- her mother had definitely lead her astray.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She forgot to give Emarni her shoes. That was one of the many things bugging Chloe. To anyone else, it might seem like a minor matter- it certainly didn't seem important to Malik, who laughed bitterly- but to Chloe it was important. They were the shoes that Emarni had been wearing the day she had gone missing. Chloe had found them in a gutter in Liverpool and that had given her hope. Hope that Emarni was nearby and okay. Now she knew for certain that she was nearby.  
"I say we leave her to rot. We don't even know her." Ingrid said.  
"She's your daughter." Malik snapped. He did a lot of snapping these days.  
"She's a weapon not a child." Ingrid said. It had taken a long time for Ingrid to even refer to Seraphina as her- not it.  
"Not this argument again." The Count sighed. He was starting to grow tired of his children's- well, Ingrid was his only child in the room technically speaking- endless bickering. What did it matter if the child was gone? She would be raised as a weapon, would bring down the Council once she came of age and that would be the end of it. Maybe Ingrid and Malik would get their child back afterwards- maybe. If they were lucky.  
"Maybe the Nightmaster would give her back if we had something he wanted." George said, massaging her side. Since everyone else had been busy, she had pulled the arrow out herself and helped herself to the bandages in Renfield's medical lot, (Renfield had disappeared sometime over the last three years. Only George had noticed that he was gone initially, until The Count had decided that he wanted his boots polishing and couldn't find him. Renfield was probably either dead in a ditch or locked up in an institute.) She was a bit of a mess.  
"Like what?" Malik said, "What would the Nightmaster want?" He frowned and drummed his fingers on the table. Ingrid reached across the table and touched his hand gently. It was a kind action for somebody who was always yelling at Malik for being an idiot- though he kind of was.  
"Ingrid, can I talk to you?" Malik said. The pair of them pushed their chairs back and left the room, their hands still touching. They began whispered conversation outside the door, the same conversation they kept having. Malik wanted to know where they stood and Ingrid wanted to know why Malik hadn't given up on Seraphima.  
"You haven't told them." The Count said, "I respect you for that, Branagh. You too, Giles."  
"One day, they will find out that you were behind Seraphina being kidnapped." Chloe said; she didn't have to whisper because as always Ingrid and Malik had begun yelling at each other in the next room. Ingrid's voice was incredibly shrill when she yelled and George winced  
"I just can't believe you lost her." George said, "You never asked who the contact was?"  
"The less I know, the less I can be blamed for it." The Count said. The two girls scowled at him, offering him a look of annoyance. He was responsible for his own granddaughter being kidnapped but he had lost her somewhere along the way. The Count was such an idiot. Sometimes, it seemed that all Draculas were.  
"When's Bertrand coming around?" Malik said, coming back into the room. He was rubbing the side of his face like he had been hit or something. There was a faint green tinge on his face- the demon blood rushing to his face, the same way human blood did when someone was injured.  
"Why?" Chloe asked, "I thought you didn't like Bertrand."  
"I'd like to talk to him, that's all." Malik shrugged; then, he added to confirm, "Yes, Ingrid did hit me and yes, she's now angry and prowling the streets for victims. Lock away your wife's, hide your children- oh wait." He rolled his eyes and slumped back into his chair.  
"Malik, can I test some new therapy methods on you?" Chloe said. She was working towards becoming a therapist and was taking a university course; the writing course hadn't worked out for her once Emarni had left. She had told them about when she had once studied Evil Cousin Olga, which appearently was her inspiration for her new career choice.  
"What?" Malik grumbled.  
"You're showing clear signs of depression." Chloe said, "Can I talk to you about your thoughts?"  
"Shut up." Malik simply said in response. He disappeared and wasn't seen until the next night.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Ingrid decided to go and pick up her baby brother out of the school and tell him what was going on. It sounded utterly crazy, (especially coming from Ingrid), but she really needed somebody to talk to. And there wasn't much option at home. The Count was horribly sexist and cruel to her on a daily basis; the little sympathy she had been offered after Seraphina's death, she had kicked aside. How she missed the offer of sympathy now. There was Chloe. Chloe, who had also experienced a lot of pain, but she didn't feel like she could talk to Branaugh. The girl had known her when they were growing up and they had never exactly got along. Whilst Chloe would probably be nice, it felt like giving in to talk to Chloe. It felt like admitting that she was upset. Ingrid didn't want to do that.  
"Can I help you with something?" the woman at the desk said. She was a ghastly looking woman, probably being punished for some crime that she had committed, glaring up at Ingrid. She tapped her sharp nails against the desk, looking rather bored. Ingrid didn't blame her.  
"I'm here to see my brother." Ingrid said. She probably could have spoken to George but the girl was nothing but a child. She wouldn't understand. But, Ingrid's brain argued, she has experienced a lot of pain. George had blinded herself and brought down one of the greater demons. She had lost her mother. She would understand. But she was still a child, a fifteen year old child. Not even with her full powers yet.  
"Your brother is?" The woman said in a bored monotone. Rolling her eyes, Ingrid slammed a hand down on the desk. The woman jumped. Ingrid gave her a look that suggested the woman was stupid.  
"You're Ingrid Dracula." The woman said, looking at her properly, "Vladimir's sister."  
"The very same." Ingrid said. The only other person she could have talked to was Malik and there was no way she was going to talk to him about the problems with him. It would've ended with her screaming and Malik yelling. She was sick and tired of arguments. Vlad wouldn't yell at her.  
"You'll probably find him hanging around the courtyard with his friends." The woman sighed, "Good luck finding him."  
"I won't need it." Ingrid said, stalking away like a bird after prey.

Her brother was in fact in the courtyard and he was with his friends. He had friends! That was more than Ingrid had at the moment. Judging by the way that his purple haired friend had her tongue rammed down his throat, he also had a successful relationship. Another thing that Ingrid lacked. She watched for a few moments before going over. Students moved out of her way, some of them looking a little frightened as she passed. Good.  
"Vlad." The purple haired girl pulled back, staring at Ingrid.  
"What, Amy?" Vlad said, pressing a hand to her face.  
"Isn't that your sister?" 'Amy' said. In that moment, Vlad almost shoved the girl off him and spun around to face his sister. His tired face broke into a smile and he stood up.  
"Ingrid." Vlad threw his arms around her.  
"Stop hugging me. Stop it. Stop hugging me. Stop it."  
"It's been years. I missed you."  
"I didn't miss you."  
"Same old Ingrid."  
"Old being the key word." Vlad laughed at that and Ingrid didn't. She just looked at him until he got message.  
"You want to talk about something, don't you?" Vlad said, "You've got that look."  
"I do not have a look!" Ingrid snapped. But her brother could read her expression perfectly and he gestured for her to follow him. He waved at 'Amy' and grinned. Ingrid pretended to retch in disgust.  
"There's a graveyard." Vlad said, "Full of death and despair. The kind of stuff that you like. So... What brings you here?"  
"I just wanted to talk to someone. And there wasn't anyone else." Ingrid said, "Not at home."  
"What about Malik?" Vlad said, as they wandered across the courtyard. Various kids and adults alike offered them a mix of awed and confused looks. What's The Princess of Darkness visiting her brother for? Something big must be going on. That was what the pupils were thinking as they walked past. At least, it was what the red headed boy that was blocking the door thought. He said so.  
"What about him?" Ingrid said coldly.  
"You're not still arguing about Seraphina, are you?" Vlad said. That was when they were stopped.  
"Well, if it isn't Count Dorkula." The red headed boy smirked. Why did everyone have such oddly coloured hair around here?  
"Oh please." Ingrid rolled her eyes, "I used that insult when I was ten."  
"And he's brought his big sister too." the kid snarled. That was it. Ingrid slammed the boy against the arched doorway, kicking the boy hard on the shin.  
"Nobody brings me anywhere!" she snarled, her eyes turning pitch black.  
"Ooh, scary..." The boy teased.  
"Come on, Ingrid." Vlad tugged her out of the door.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

The next time Malik was seen, he was seen by Chloe. She found him sitting on the roof, rain hammering down on his head- it was late summer and the British weather was determined to ruin their unlives further. Malik was slumped forward, holding his head in his hands and massaging his temples like he had a headache. Rain was racing down his face and body, soaking him to the core. He looked depressed and Chloe wondered if now was the time for a therapy session.  
"Malik! What are you doing?" Chloe called over the rain.  
"What?" Malik yelled back, looking up at her. His eyes narrowed as wind and rain lashed against his face.  
"What are you- oh, forget it." Chloe sighed. She glanced up at the howling sky and climbed out of the window, onto the roof. Grateful for her vampire sense of balance- which must resembled a cat's- Chloe walked over to Malik.  
"What are you doing?" she yelled in his ear so that he could hear.  
"Being alone!" Malik shouted back, "Until you turned up!"  
"Sorry!" Chloe yelled, "But you looked lonely, that's all!"  
"Ingrid hates me! Emarni's gone! Seraphina's gone too! What have I got left?" Malik demanded. He turned to look at her, his hair blowing in his eyes.  
"You've got me! I'm your friend!" Chloe yelled.  
"What?" Malik frowned over the noise of the storm.  
"I'm your friend!" Chloe screamed at him. His eyes widened.  
"I don't have friends!" he yelled back.  
"Tough cookies!" Chloe grinned.  
"What?"  
"I said tough cookies!" Chloe frowned back at him.  
"What?"  
"Let's go inside!" Chloe shouted.  
"What?" She took him by the arm and lead him back over to the hatch that lead to the attic. She gripped him tightly and luckily, neither of them slipped in the poor weather. Lighting crackled overhead, as Chloe worked the hatch open.  
"Go faster!" Malik yelled, looking up at the storm a little uneasily.  
"What?" Chloe teased him, succeeding in cracking open the hatch. She slid down the ladder and hit the attic floor with a thump, dust flying up in a cloud around her. Malik slid the hatch close.  
"You're soaked." Chloe said, staring at the boy.  
"Yeah. I noticed." Malik said, wiping the water from his face; he brushed his hair back and looked back at Chloe, "So are you." For a moment, they just looked at each other.  
"Come here." Malik said, and he rubbed her face with the back of his hand. She was tempted to punch him hard in the stomach and splinter his ribs into a million pieces. But he would hit back and he would hit back hard. So, she let him dry her face with a combination of his hand and his sleeve.  
"I don't like you like that." was all Chloe said, as the Vaccaria drew away from her. He had been too close to her for her to be comfortable.  
"What?" Malik said.  
"I just thought..." Chloe trailed off because Malik was looking at her like she was stupid; he raised an eyebrow, "I'm an idiot."  
"I told you before." Malik said, "I don't like you like that either."  
"So, you do like me." Chloe said, "Just not like that."  
"I told you. You remind me of Emarni." Malik said, crossing his arms.  
"How so?" Chloe said, in surprise. She had never compared herself to the Vaccaria girl, except to put herself in a negative light. Emarni was so much better than her in every single way; prettier, nicer, cleverer, in some respects at least...  
"You're both blonde. You're both pretty- not like that, but..." Malik shrugged, "You've both got really nice eyes and you're both really nice. You both bug me a hell of a lot. But I guess you're smarter than Emarni. She's a bit stupid."  
"She's not stupid!" Chloe protested.  
"She can't write her own name properly." Malik said.  
"She's your sister."  
"Doesn't make her intelligent."

They were confronted by a fifteen year old girl wearing a thick pair of sunglasses with purple frames and her plaid shirt was a matching shade of purple. She stood with her hands on her hips and for some reason, Malik was reminded of Ingrid. He shook the thought from his head; Ingrid and George were nothing alike.  
"Hey George." Chloe smiled at the younger girl, "What's up?"  
"There's a girl at the door." George said.  
"A girl?" Malik frowned in confusion. Somebody had found them. But how? And who was the girl?  
"A girl. Human. Can't tell you what she looks like." George grinned, "I told her to wait on the doorstep."  
"In the rain?" Chloe's eyes widened and she started down the stairs.  
"It's probably a trap." Malik warned her, quick on her heels, "We can't let random strangers into the house, Branaugh."  
"He has a point." George said, limping down the stairs. Her hand gripped her side like it was causing her pain. She winced every time she went down another step. Malik decided to ask her about that later and focused on beating Chloe to the door. He shoved her aside and grabbed the doorknob, then he paused.  
"Open it!" Chloe said.  
"No!" George yelped, "It could be a trick by the Nightmaster!"  
"The Nightmaster wouldn't knock on the door!" Chloe rolled her eyes, "Not if he already knew we were here."  
"He might. We don't know anything about him!" The Count said dramatically, joining the others by the door, "Don't open it, boy!"  
"I have a name." Malik said.  
"Yes, Malice or whatever." The Count said, "Now, come away from the door."  
"Malik!" the other male snarled, "My name's Malik!"  
"Oh, for satan's sake!" Chloe rolled her eyes and nudged Malik aside. She flung the door open.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

There was a girl in Poland- they had lived in Poland for a few months, scarcely any time- that Anna used to be friends with. The girl was called Autumn and she had beautiful long auburn hair that fell down to her waist. She always wore it down and spent all her time stroking it like it was her pet. But the thing Anna really liked about Autumn was her admiration of romance. Autumn like to take photographs of people kissing. She had a scrapbook hidden under her bed, full of photographs. The girl also loved to dance, always twirling and leaping around whenever she went anywhere. She was the only friend that Anna ever had, even though she was a few years older. That was until Anna made friends with Nia. Kind of.

Nia was a lovely girl; a small, olive skinned girl with thin dark braids. She was originally from Egypt and had a bad habit of slipping into Arabic when she was speaking. The girl was about ten and practically worshipped Emarni.  
"She's my mistress. She brought me inside and gave me a home. It's like having a mother." Nia said, when Anna had asked; suddenly, her eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, please don't tell her I said that!" Then, Nia carried on walking, laundry balanced in her arms. She didn't glance back at Anna.  
"I think she's kind of mean." Anna said, traipsing after the girl. Nia was wearing a floor length white cotton dress, which was cinched in at the waist with a gold belt. Her mask was a matching white with golden swirls painted on the sides and around her dark brown eyes. When she walked up the stairs, Anna saw a flash of the girl's golden sandals and olive coloured ankles.  
"She's not mean. She's hurt." Nia replied, turning to look at the girl, "I like your necklace." She was referring to the golden locket that swung around Anna's neck. The girl herself was very proud of it.  
"It was my aunt's." Anna smiled.  
"Can I see?" Nia put her laundry basket down and stepped down the stairs. She took the locket in her hand and peered at it- she looked as if she recognised it.  
"What's on the inside?" Nia asked, fiddling with the locket. She couldn't open it.  
"I don't know." Anna said, "It's rusted shut." The Egyptian girl gave Anna a strange look and turned away from her. She picked up the laundry and continued up the stairs. Soon, they came across Anna's father coming down the stairs.  
"Hello Anna. And..." he pointed at Nia and gave up on thinking of her name.  
"Nia." the olive skinned girl put in.  
"Nia." Anna's father said, "Of course. How are you, Anna?" His daughter shrugged and Nia looked up at Anna's father curiously. She grabbed the locket from around Anna's neck.  
"Where did you get this?" Nia demanded, almost choking the other girl.  
"Anna's aunt gave it to me." Anna's father said.  
"Your sister?"  
"Her mother's sister."  
"Your wife's sister?"  
"She wasn't my wife. She nearly was though." Anna's father said and the servant girl turned to Anna.  
"Anna, what's your aunt's name?"  
"Don't you have work to do?" Bertrand snapped, suddenly. He smacked Nia over the head and the girl shut up abruptly. She was used to being slapped by Emarni, whenever she was in one of her moods.  
"Of course." Nia curtseyed and continued up the stairs, leaving the De Fortunesa's behind.

Nia was certain that she had seen that locket somewhere before but she couldn't place where. Definitely somewhere in Emarni's house. She would have to ask Emarni about it. She knocked on the girl's door. There was a moan from inside and Nia took that as a polite "come in". Gently, she pushed open the door and went inside.  
"Good night, Miss Emarni." Nia smiled. It had taken her a while to adjust to the vampire way of speaking- most of the words were swapped around- but she had managed it.  
"Nia..." Emarni whimpered. She was lying on the bed, a miserable expression on her face. She must have fallen asleep again.  
"Oh, Miss Emarni." Nia sighed. The girl didn't look in the mood for answering any questions.  
"What's wrong, Miss?" Nia asked, putting her laundry basket down and going over to the girl. She sat beside the girl and helped the girl sit up.  
"Bertrand keeps being nice to me and I am confused." Emarni said, "I do not understand." She looked at Nia pathetically with her big green eyes.  
"What do you mean 'nice'?" Nia asked, picking up a hairbrush from the floor and brushing it through Emarni's messy curls. The girl yelped as the brush tugged at her hair and her servant apologised.  
"He massaged my foot for me last me and said nice things to me." Emarni said, "When I woke up, he was here again. He had bandaged my ankle, look." There was indeed a bandage around her ankle, carefully tied so that it wasn't too tight or too loose. She stroked it like it was precious to her.  
"Maybe he likes you." Nia said.  
"No!" Emarni said, "No! No! No! No!"  
"Do you like him?" Nia asked, brushing the girl's hair back. Pulling a hairband from her own hair, Nia began to pull Emarni's hair back into a braid. Emarni didn't say anything, which was odd because she normally protested if Nia did anything with her hair.  
"Miss Emarni?" Nia said.  
"He is very nice. Maybe he could be my friend. I have not had a friend before. Not a proper one." Emarni grinned, dimples showing in her pale cheeks. She looked at Nia and kept grinning. She hadn't looked that happy in years.  
"A friend." Nia laughed softly, tying the girl's hair and brushing the loose strands back from her eyes.  
"We bashed heads with each other." Emarni smiled, "That is how close together we were."  
"Are you going to get dressed and come downstairs?" Nia said, smiling at the older girl, "Bertrand's in the library."  
"Give me five seconds." Emarni said, grinning and getting to her feet. The servant girl smiled too and left the room. As she closed the door, she added:  
"Wear something pretty." Then, she pulled it and locked it tightly; she had all the keys hanging on a chain. She needed Emarni out of the way.

Hopefully, Emarni would be out of the way long enough if Nia's plans worked out. It was exciting for the Egyptian girl who had never plotted anything before, let alone put plans into action. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her. Now, she had to get the locket and Anna out of the way. She found Anna sitting on the stairs, the locket still hanging around her neck. The girl looked conflicted, frowning at the door that lead to the library.  
"Hello Anna." Nia said, "Can I ask a favour?" She didn't know if this was going to work, (it depended on how attracted Anna was to her locket).  
"Depends." Anna said.  
"I want to borrow your locket." Nia said, "Please?"  
"What? Why?" Anna's dark eyes widened.  
"Um..." Nia said. She hadn't got that far. Then, she went to plan B and grabbed the girl by the arm.  
"What are you doing?" Anna squealed, as Nia shoved her backwards. She ripped the locket from around the girl's neck, breaking the rusted clasp.  
"Hey!" Anna protested and Nia shoved the girl into a cupboard. She locked it, using the key already in the door. She slid the key onto her chain.  
"Nia! Nia! Nia!" Anna screamed, "Father, help!"  
"I'll let you out later." Nia whispered, "I'm really sorry." And she went to lock Bertrand away.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She arrived at the Dracula house, which Emarni had planned out on a pin board, and recognised it instantly. A big house, a bit bigger than Emarni's. She hadn't had time to be casual about bringing the locket here- The Draculas would be moving soon. She had thought up a plan, grabbed the locket and left. No waiting around like Emarni did when she was planning. She didn't have enough time for a better plan. Nia was soaking wet, from head to toe, the wind playing havoc with her hair. Her eyes stung from the wind blowing into them, peeling her eyes open and holding them there. Her sandalled feet were dripping wet, the hem of her dress damp and muddy. She knocked on the door, her teeth chattering. There was a long wait before it was opened. The girl that opened it was easy to recognise as Georgina Giles. She was much taller than she was in the photo that they had and her hair was a lot longer. She was wearing sunglasses, probably to help protect her already damaged eyes. If she made it to sixteen, there was a chance that her eyes could healed. Nia knew this.  
"Hello?" she said, looking around.  
"I'm down here." Nia said, feeling small, "I'm here to see the Draculas? Preferably Malik?"  
"Why?" George asked.  
"I don't know if I can tell you." Nia said honestly.  
"Wait here." George said, then she slammed the door closed. Nia had no way of knowing if the girl was coming back or if she was going to leave her out here. She stood there, listening intently to see if she could hear anything. She couldn't. The roar of the storm was much too loud. Rain was falling like knives, smashing into Nia's back and clouding her vision. She could only see the faint outline of the door in front of her and barely anything else. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself and whimpered. It was so cold. So very cold. Now, she could faintly hear arguing. She wished that she had better shoes but she couldn't afford them.  
"Oh, for satan's sake!" somebody exclaimed and the door flew open. Cold and shaking, Nia looked up at the Draculas- well, none of them were technically Draculas, except for The Count. Chloe was holding the door open, the wind tearing through her hair and blowing it out behind her. She was staring down at Nia in confusion, like she was expecting something or somebody else. Malik was just behind her and he was scowling. He and Chloe both looked soaked too, like they had just come in from the rain also. George was behind them, looking guilty for opening the door to a stranger. The Count stood behind all of them, trying to look threatening. But where was Ingrid?  
"What do you want, child?" The Count demanded.  
"I-I-I-I'm a f-friend of E-E-Ema-Emarni's." Nia spluttered, going with the first story she could think of, "A-a-at least, I w-w-was." That was a lie. She had never been Emarni's friend, only her servant.  
"You know where she is?" Malik said.  
"N-n-no." Nia stammered.  
"Then, get lost!" Emarni's brother snapped at her, going to close the door.  
"W-w-w-wait!" Nia tried to shout and it came out almost as quiet as a whisper. She pulled the locket from her pocket and held it up. Realisation flashed in Malik's eyes and he stopped where he was.  
"That's the locket I gave to Elisabetta." The Count frowned, "How did you get it?" The girl was about to lie through her teeth, when Chloe provided a story for her.  
"That's Emarni's locket, Count." she said, "The girl-" It was Emarni's locket! Nia knew she had seen it somewhere before! Not on her mistress but Emarni did have a picture of it. She had spoken of it, just once before. She said that she had tossed it away, back in Romania, and that she had always regretted it. She didn't know where it landed. But how had Anna come across it?  
"Nia." the Egyptian child out in, "L-l-l-like Mia. But w-w-w-with an N?"  
"Nia must've been given it by Emarni." Chloe said.  
"B-b-before she w-was captured." Nia agreed. There was a pause.  
"Come in, Nia." Malik said, quietly; The Count went to protest and Malik simply snapped at him, "No arguments!"

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

_Please read and review! _

_- Angels xox._


	5. Chapter Five

_This chapter is sort of all over the place, my lovelies. Thank you for putting up with my randomness. _

_THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY _

They wouldn't speak to Nia until she was fed and rested. She was lead upstairs, forced into clean clothes that were much too big for her and told to rest.

"I can't. I have to get back to-" Nia couldn't tell Chloe that she had to return home to Emarni and let Anna out of a cupboard. But all Chloe did was shake her head and take the locket from Nia's sweating palms.  
"It's okay, Nia." Chloe insisted, "You're safe here." She wouldn't admit it but she was exhausted, falling asleep the second that she lay down in Chloe's coffin. Her breathing slowed and then she was thrown into her nightmares. She rarely slept well- she was always up late and caring for Emarni, never able to rest properly. And when she did, she had the nightmares.

Her mother was always in her nightmares, sobbing and screaming. So were Nia's sisters, lying dead at her feet. And that awful feeling. That awful feeling that murderers feel when they regret killing somebody.  
"How could you do it, Niamh?" Her mother sobbed, "How could you kill them?" Lowering the pistol that she found in her hand, Nia was frightened. She didn't remember killing anyone- all she could remember was a long black period. And now her sisters were dead and the blood was literally on Nia's hands. All three of her sisters. Dead. Murdered. Slaughtered.  
"I don't remember anything." Nia's voice shook as she dropped the gun. It clattered to the ground, bouncing on the stone floor. Beside Nia's feet lay her elder sister; Nova was a small girl with the same dark braids as Nia, a girl on the autistic spectrum. Nova had been diagnosed with Down's syndrome and autism at the age of four, functionally mute until the age of ten. For some reason, seeing her dead hurt Nia more than anything.  
"You're crazy." Nia's own mother said, cradling the broken body of her youngest daughter, "You're actually crazy." She drew a crucifix from her pocket and held it out, dropping her daughter's body. The body of Nim was dropped to the floor and rolled onto it's side. The bullet holes were obvious in her forehead, right in the centre.  
"Mother, please!" The Egyptian girl didn't cry, despite her terror. She just backed away slowly, her hands raised in surrender. Her third sister, Never, had obviously died trying to protect her other sister's. She was curled on the floor, her eyes closed like she was sleeping. Blood trickled from her rib cage like pretty red ribbons. Nia's palms sweated.  
"Niamh, leave before you cause anyone any more damage." Her mother ordered. Before she could stop herself, Nia swept up the gun from where she had dropped it. Her hands shook as she pulled the trigger. She heard the gunshot. She saw her mother collapse. And she woke up quickly, gasping for breath.

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"The Rings of Ikhaso?" Ingrid said, doubtfully. She was sitting on the edge of the library table, watching as Vlad turned the pages of a book much too quickly to be reading them. Beside him, Amorette was sat, her finger tracing the spine of a book.  
"They're ancient rings created by Lucilliam." the purple haired girl smiled wistfully, looking up to a sky. Her right hand went to the purple ring on her left hand and she fiddled with it.  
"Lucilliam? Oh god." Ingrid rolled her eyes. She knew about Lucilliam. The so called "Goddess" was behind the creation of the world and was the head of a vampire religion called- wait for it- Lucillism. It was the most popular of vampire religions, perhaps because it was so whimsical.  
"There's a ring to represent each element." Vlad said, reading from a book, "Fire, Water, Air and Earth. They're also called The Element Rings or the Demon Rings. They're incredibly dangerous." At the mention of danger,his sister leant forward with interest. He slid the book towards her, open on a page where the rings were clearly illustrated. All four rings were thin and twisted, made from what looked like wood. There were words carved into the side that were unable to read.  
"Lucilliam fashioned them from an old oak tree." Amorette said, her eyes full of belief.  
"Shut up!" Ingrid said, "Nobody cares!"  
"Ingrid!" Vlad leapt to his girlfriend's defence instantly.  
"Sorry!" Ingrid held up her hands in surrender, though she wasn't really sorry. She pulled the book closer to her and stared down at the pictures; she traced the pictures with the tip of her fingers.  
"So... You think the Council are after these?" Ingrid said.  
"They used to have the rings in their possession, a long time ago. But they lost them when the rings were stolen by a vampire and tossed into the ocean. People searched for centuries but they were never found." Vlad said, "Now that the Council are back, they'll want their rings back."  
"So, demons want flashy jewellery. What do we do?" Ingrid looked to her younger brother for help.  
"We find the rings first." Amorette said, "But we'll need the map that Mum keeps in her office." She pushed her chair back with a squeak, getting to her feet. She swept from the room, grabbing her purple bag and swinging it over her shoulder. Vlad went to follow her but his sister grabbed him by the arm.  
"How do you know we can trust her?" Ingrid demanded.  
"She's my girlfriend." Vlad said, "But you're right. Her mother is evil!" He laughed like it was a joke and followed the girl from the room, his sister in tow.

They crept into the room that was easily recognised as an office, the door creaking open slowly. It was a large room, hung with paintings and full of vases of dead roses. There was a long wooden cane framed on the wall.  
"Your mum's a teacher?" Ingrid whispered, (it felt like she should whisper), as she shut the door behind them.  
"A history teacher, yeah." Amorette said, crossing the room quickly. She began to rifle through the papers in the top drawer of the desk, barely visible in the unlit room.  
"While we're here, can we look at the answers for next week's test?" Vlad said, pulling a cupboard open. The door creaked and he winced.  
"The world is collapsing and you care about a test?" Ingrid hissed, watching the pair search. She certainly wasn't going to rummage through things and leave her fingerprints behind- no way was she getting blamed for this.  
"Ingrid, help!" Vlad snapped at her, surprisingly harsh. Somebody was scared of getting caught.  
"Fine." Ingrid rolled her eyes. Silently, she walked over to where the framed cane hung on the wall and removed it. Behind it was a coded vault to which Ingrid simply typed in 1-2-3-4 and opened easily. People were such idiots.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

The girl came downstairs with a haunted expression, looking even worse for the sleep that she'd had. She hovered in the doorway, half her face hidden by the doorframe. She held out the locket.  
"Is this Emarni's? Definitely?" she said, "She looked a little mad when she gave it to me." The small girl was rather young looking, only around ten, and she was utterly human. That was what Malik found the most surprising- that the girl was human. Emarni had a friend who was a human. And that was when she remembered that Emarni had befriended Chloe when she was human. Maybe Emarni had an interest in humans.  
"Yeah. I'd know it anywhere." Malik said, "It used to belong to Mum. It's cursed." He took it from her and held it up to the light. Golden light reflecting onto his face, Malik looked at it like it was his sister herself. He stroked the lid of the locket and turned it over, inspecting the clasp.  
"It's jammed shut." Malik said, "How'd that happen?"  
"That's what it was like when Emarni gave it to me." Nia shrugged, "Can you open it?" The vampire-demon looked down at her for a second and offered her a rare smile.  
"I'll try." Malik said. He walked out of the room, the small girl quick on his heels.  
"Why are you being nice?" Nia piped up, "Emarni said that you were horrible."  
"I am. But you remind me of someone." Malik said. He ran up the stairs, the locket still clutched in his hand. Because the small Egyptian girl reminded him of someone- Seraphina. She followed him into his room and stood nervously in the doorway.  
"You haven't packed your stuff up." Nia noted, "But everyone else has." Damn, she had noticed the boxes crammed with stuff everywhere. Everywhere except for Malik's room.  
"I forgot to pack." Malik said, kicking the rubbish aside; he rummaged through a drawer, searching for anything he could use to force the locket open, "Do me a favour and distract me."  
"How?" Nia asked.  
"I don't know, say something interesting." Malik shrugged.  
"My middle name is Erin?" Nia said.  
"I know somebody called Erin." Malik said, "I'm not sure if she's alive. We thought she was dead but she wasn't. And I don't know if the Nightmaster got her." At the word Nightmaster, Nia actively shivered. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop herself shaking. Malik found a screwdriver that he didn't recall ever purchasing, (then, he remembered that he had received it as a Christmas present from somebody; a family member that couldn't be bothered to think of anything that he would actually like) and rammed it into the slit in the locket. Using most of his strength, Malik forced the locket open and broke the clasp. Inside the locket were the two paintings of the familiar faces.  
"That's your father, isn't it?" Nia said, standing at Malik's side and poking at the picture with her finger.  
"Not mine. Emarni's. We have different fathers." Malik said, "But that's my mother." The woman in the painting was so different to the mother that he remembered. His mother was psychotic and verging on abusive, insisting that he was a disappointment. The woman in the painting looked almost nice.  
"She's pretty." Nia admired.  
"She's a nutcase." Malik said, handing the locket back to the girl, "Keep this for me. Give it back to Emarni. She'll be missing it." The Egyptian girl slid the broken locket into her pocket and it jangled against her keys. That reminded her. She had to go home and let the De Fortunesa's out of the various rooms. She had to go home before Emarni noticed she was missing.  
"I need to go home." Nia said, "I really- I have to go."  
"I'll tell everyone that you went." Malik said, his mind drifting to his mother, "Get the locket to Emarni and tell her... That it'll be okay. That I'll save her. One day."

After unlocking the library door, Nia went and unlocked the cupboard door, shoving a bag of double dipped fudge marshmallow cookies into the girl's hands. Anna stumbled out and nearly tumbled onto the floor. She narrowed her eyes.  
"What?" was the only response that Nia got from the three year old girl.  
"I'm really sorry." Nia smiled, shrugging apologetically, "I hope we can still be friends." Anna looked up at her in confusion, hugging her sweets to her chest. She had been locked in the closet for six hours in the darkness, surrounded by the shadow monsters. She was a shaking mess.  
"We're friends?" Anna said, her eyes wide in surprise.  
"Of course." Nia said, "Want to do something?"  
"Like what?" Anna frowned.  
"Play a board game? Draw a picture? Make friendship bracelets?" Nia shrugged. She needed to get to know the girl better and find out where she had really got that locket. So that she could prove to Emarni that the De Fortunesa's were up to something.  
"Drawing?" Anna's face positively glowed, "We can do that? Without permission?"  
"Yes?" Nia said, wondering how strict Master Bertrand was at home.  
"Won't Miss Emarni be angry with you for not working?" Anna said.  
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Which was the motto that Nia had lived by for a long time. It was what she said as the boy that usually cooked dinner helped her with her mathematics. It was what she said as she snuck outside to play with the dusty old skipping rope that she had found rammed down the back of a bookcase. It was what she said as she stole a pair of Emarni's sandals to wear because her old shoes had got worn out. Looking down at the golden sandals that barely clung to her feet, (she had used a mix of Sellotape and string to get them to stay on her feet), a wave of guilt hit her.  
"True." Anna said thoughtfully, then she grinned, "I am an excellent drawer." From that moment on, Anna and Nia were closer than ever.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

It was clear that Emarni was feeling homesick staring at the monitors night after night for weeks; every night was exactly the same. Bertrand would come in as soon as he felt up to it and Emarni's eyes would already be glazed over, staring at the screens blankly. Her face would be close to the screen, taking in the boring events of the streets. She never went outside.  
"Anything, Emarni?" Bertrand would say, as he pulled on his headset. The girl would shake her head, a glum look on her face. Her curls were always loosely tied back and always falling in her face. They would sit there awhile, neither of them speaking to each other until later. Nia would come in and say that lunch was ready and that Miss Anna was eager to see her father. And Bertrand would glance at Emarni, who was slumped on the desk.  
"Emarni?" he would say, "Would you care for something to eat?" He always found himself speaking like that around her; the same way people used to speak in the Old Country- with respect.  
"Maybe another time." Emarni always said, not even looking at him. And that began to worry him as the endless days dragged on.

Vampires, being dead, don't technically have to eat. Some don't. But if the vampire in question decides not to eat food, they must drink a sufficient amount of blood so that their body has some kind of energy to run on, (they're like humans in that way, not that many would admit it). What worried Bertrand is that he never saw Emarni feeding either; she seemed heavily reluctant to go outside, or even move, nowadays and she refused to drink blood from the bottle.  
"I am not a baby. I shall not be bottle fed." Emarni always snapped when he dared ask. If she went on like this, she was either going to die or grow too weak for her body to function properly. She could damage her body permanently.  
"She'll get something later." Nia said, when Bertrand asked, "Maybe."  
"Does she normally-?"  
"Eat?" Nia said, "No. She used to go out and drink from people but I think she's too scared now. She's playing a dangerous game."  
"These are dangerous times." Bertrand replied. Nia gave him a curious look, clearly wondering if he knew something. Then, she went back to folding Emarni's laundry.

After they ate, Bertrand would spend time with his daughter; reading to her, playing games of chess, practising her gift. And Emarni would do god knows what until the evening. That was when Bertrand would rejoin the girl, who was normally slumped on the desk and staring up sleepily at the computers.  
"What do you do all afternoon?" Bertrand said once. The girl turned her head to one side and looked at him.  
"Nothing that you would be interested in." Emarni replied. By the morning, her eyes had fallen closed and she was deep in sleep. That was where Bertrand would leave her, unsure of if he should move her.

Every night was so similar that it could be written on a schedule, down to the very last second. It was only at the end of the third week that something changed. It was when Bertrand that finally decided to confront Emarni about her daily routine. He came downstairs and found the girl staring at the screen once more. This time he really looked, seeing the dark shadows underneath her eyes, her eyelids drooping half closed and the same scruffy clothes that she had been wearing for the last week or so. He slid into the seat beside her, put his headset on and then, sighed and took it off.  
"Emarni?" Bertrand said. The girl lifted her head from where she had been resting them on the her arms, looking a little dazed. Her face was flushed blue from the light reflecting on her.  
"Have you even moved? At all?" Bertrand said. He slid his chair towards her, moving to be next to her. Emarni shook her head and tried to sit up straight.  
"I think you should sleep." Bertrand said. He was vaguely aware of the girl's head falling onto his shoulder, her curls brushing against his neck. Her body was small and fragile against his, slipping into Bertrand's arms.  
"Emarni..." He warned, a weird sensation filling his heart. But the girl was gone, tired from hours of staring at a screen. Bertrand sighed and wrapped an arm around her, trying not to wake her.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

When Ingrid took the rings back to Liverpool, she was unsurprised to find that nobody had missed her. The first person she met was Chloe, who was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with her laptop. The blonde girl looked up and caught Ingrid's eyes. She smiled.  
"Don't look at me like that." Ingrid growled; she shoved the book about demon rings into Chloe's lap, along with the old map that had been painted in blood, "Look at these. Me and Vladerella found them."  
"Vladerella and I." Chloe corrected instantly, pushing her laptop aside. She peered down at the map, which had notes written on it in what looked like Aramaic, and frowned.  
"The Rings of Ikhaso?" Chloe questioned, looking up at Ingrid.  
"The most powerful weapons in the world." Ingrid said, "They control the elements." That was all she said before leaving Chloe to read the rest. There were many ways to murder using the rings that Ingrid had figured out so far and she was still thinking about it. How she'd love to have those rings in her possession. She bumped into Malik at the top of the stairs and nearly fell. He grabbed her by the arm and stopped her from falling.  
"Glad I caught you." was the joke he decided to use, his lip curling into a smirk. She slapped him on the arm.  
"We have a lead." Ingrid told him, "The Rings of-"  
"Ikhaso." Malik finished her sentence for her, "Those are dangerous weapons. I knew you'd be after them now that one has been found." That shocked Ingrid.  
"One's been found already?" Ingrid said.  
"That's what I heard the other day." Malik said.  
"From who?"  
"Someone."  
"Malik!"  
"I'm not telling." Malik said, "But I would worry if I were you. Because the Nightmaster will be after the rings too, as well as The Council. You have no chance."  
"We have no chance." Ingrid corrected.  
"What makes you think I'll help you?" Malik smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. She resisted the strong urge to slap him silly, pushing past him.  
"You always help me." Ingrid said.  
"Maybe this time I won't?" Malik suggested. The girl looked him full in the eyes and smirked. She knew Malik much too well and knew for a fact that he would always do whatever she says. Because he was always eager to get on her good side- not that he showed it.  
"You will." Ingrid said, "Because I need your help."  
"Ooh, the great Ingrid Dracula requires my help?" he replied sarcastically; before adding in his usual casual tone, "With what, Ing?"  
"That's not my name!" Ingrid snapped.  
"You think the Nightmaster has one of the rings, don't you?" Malik said, "I can read you like a book, Ing." He was just trying to annoy her now.  
"How do we lure the Nightmaster to us?" Ingrid asked, ignoring his snide comments.  
"The Nightmaster is old school." Malik said, walking down the stairs, "Organise a ball. Maybe I'll even be your date." He offered her a smirk before rushing down the stairs.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She didn't move when she slept, except to bury her face deeper into Bertrand's jacket. Up close, her hair was slightly disgusting and straggly. Her skin was sickly looking instead of pale and beautiful- no! Not beautiful! She was not at all beautiful! She was sick looking and pathetic.  
"No... No... It hurts..." Emarni murmured.  
"Emarni?" Bertrand said as gently as he could, "Emarni? Wake up." The girl just murmured something about demons and whimpered.  
"Emarni?" Bertrand shook her awake.  
"It is hurting my eyes!" Emarni exclaimed, her eyes opening a little. She looked around in confusion like she was unsure of where she was.  
"Emarni?" Bertrand said again.  
"What?" she muttered.  
"You were having a nightmare." Bertrand said.  
"About demons..." Emarni wiped at her eyes. Tears had already sprung to her eyes, filling her big eyes. He found himself stroking her head, brushing his hands through her curls. Her face pressed against his chest, her tears soaking through his jacket.  
"Emarni." he said for the fourth time and she looked at him, their eyes meeting, "Did they hurt you?" It was a stupid question and he knew that the second he asked. But he wasn't good at comforting people, he really wasn't. He was new at this.  
"Y-yes." Emarni spluttered, "I- sorry. Sorry. Sorry." She tried to sit up and only succeeded in sliding her knee into Bertrand's ribs. He yelped and the girl moved her leg, apologising again and again. She ran both hands through her hair, chewing her lip. Another tear ran down her face and he resisted the impulse to wipe it away.  
"Am I squishing you?" She elbowed him in the chest as she forced herself up. Failing, she fell back into Bertrand's lap and into his arms.  
"You're fine." Bertrand reassured her, even though she was crushing his ribs, "Just rest, you need the sleep." He had to wrap his arms around her to stop her sliding off his lap. Sleepily, she winced a little at his touch.  
"I should really get back to work..." Emarni said, resting her head on Bertrand's shoulder.  
"You're working yourself to death." Bertrand told her, fully aware of his arms touching her small waist. She was scarily skinny and small, as well as tall and willowy. She very much resembled a willow tree in fact; those green eyes, long arches, delicate curves and long curly hair. It made Bertrand wonder if he was holding a painted girl, sculpted by neat swirls of paint. There was so much that she could be compared to.  
"Do you mind being my pillow?" She yawned. That made Bertrand laugh and he was smacked on the arm. The girl gave him a sleepy but somehow firm expression.  
"Shush, pillows do not move..." Emarni murmured as she dropped back into sleep. Bertrand chuckled quietly.

It was much later that Emarni woke up properly, her head buried into Bertrand's shoulder. She woke up suddenly, jolting awake in the man's arms. She looked up at him, realised that it was him and then squealed, wriggling out of his grip. She shuffled away from him and pulled on her headset.  
"Emarni." Bertrand said. She couldn't pretend that nothing had happened.  
"Miss Emarni." the girl corrected. Her eyes remained on the screen, not even moving a little.  
"You said I could call you Emarni." Bertrand said.  
"I have changed my mind upon the matter, De Fortunesa." Emarni said, staring at the screen. She rubbed her eyes, smearing make-up all over her fists and her face. Perhaps her eyes were growing sore from the screens. Bertrand didn't even notice that she wore make-up.  
"Miss Emarni-" Bertrand tried. It came out sounding a lot more annoyed than he intended it to.  
"I cannot work with you hassling me!" Emarni snapped, "Will you stop talking to me?" Angrily, she threw down her headset and stormed out of the room.  
"Miss Emarni!" Bertrand called after her, "I didn't- I-" She didn't turn around. He heard footsteps as she pounded up the stairs and a slam of a door in the distance. Minutes later, Nia appeared in the doorway with a frown.  
"Nia, come here a moment." Bertrand called the girl over, "Can I ask a favour?"  
"Anything, Master Bertrand." Nia curtseyed but looked annoyed about it.  
"Make sure Emarni eats something or drinks something or just... Something." Bertrand told the girl, before returning to staring at the screens blankly.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She was moping; truly and properly moping. She wasn't like her stupid older brother, she didn't get angry. She just got miserable and began to mope, sitting on her own in her room. She didn't know why she felt so... Confused about Bertrand. He was just a man, a stupid utterly attractive- no, unattractive! She meant unattractive. She didn't know what to do with her mess of feelings, so she moped. If she was at home, Malik might've comforted her in his usual way- a mash of insults, kind words, hitting and throwing people in lakes. But now she was alone.  
"Miss Emarni?" It was Nia. Great.  
"What?" Emarni yelled, running her hands through her hair, "What the hell do you want?" She threw the door open, her eyes flashing red in madness. This was what happened when feelings got in the way. She couldn't have feelings.  
"I wondered what you might like to eat." Nia said, "Something, anything."  
"Nia, we have been through this. I am absolutely fine-" Emarni paused as a sudden wave of dizziness gripped her, passing quickly, "Fine."  
"Miss Emarni, if I might suggest something?" Nia said, "You're killing yourself slowly here; not eating, not moving, barely sleeping."  
"Please, Nia." Emarni snapped, "Just... Just leave me!" She felt so angry, so miserable, so happy. She had never felt like this before.  
"Mistress Emarni..." Nia said, looking up at the girl in worry. As the feelings hit her hard, Emarni felt the watery sensation in her eyes and knew that she was going to cry. She turned away from Nia and crossed her arms.  
"I don't think you're fine." Nia said.  
"Get out!" Emarni screamed, her eyes filling with tears.  
"Miss Emarni!" Nia cried.  
"GET OUT!" Emarni slammed the door hard and didn't notice that it hit  
Nia very hard in the face.

"Control it, Vaccaria." Emarni muttered to nobody but herself, "Come on, Vaccarias do not have feelings. Control yourself. Do not think about him, do not think about him." She paced the length of the room and back again, feeling oddly restless. She wanted to sleep but she couldn't keep still. She drummed her fingers against her thighs.  
"Do not think about... Bertrand." Emarni gave in weakly, falling backwards onto her bed, "Why is he so... Amazing?" She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.  
"No!" Emarni snapped at herself, "Love will make you weak. It will destroy you!" She slapped herself across the face, "You are such an idiot."  
"But he is so-"  
"No, shut up!"  
"He-"  
"It will make you weak!"  
"But I-"  
"Miss Emarni?"  
"I said: shut up! Shut the hell up! SHUT UP!" Then, she realised that hadn't been her speaking; at least, not the penultimate time. And she had just screamed at Anna to shut up. The girl came into the room, something gripped in between her two palms. She was wearing a nice dress, a frilly dress that reminded Emarni of herself at Anna's age. And that hurt.  
"Sorry to interrupt your, uh, argument, Miss Emarni, but-"  
"Get the hell out of my room!" Emarni growled at her, "I do not like you! Or your father! I hate you both!" The small girl who stood there did not look upset just curious, smiling up at the older vampire. That annoyed Emarni even further.  
"Get out, you little brat!" Emarni raised her fist. Anna didn't back away or even flinch; she just held up a small bouquet of flowers tied with a pink ribbon. Emarni knew those flowers well- much too well. Vaccarias. The plant that she shared a name with. Breathing deeply, (especially for someone who didn't need to breathe), Emarni just stared at the small girl. She lowered her fist slowly.  
"What?" she spluttered, her rage turning to confusion.  
"I wanted to say thank you." Anna said, "Father says that you are probably going to throw us out now. But I wanted to say thank you because... You made him really happy." The small girl handed Emarni the bouquet and curtseyed neatly, before running off. She was very light on her feet.  
"What is wrong with you, Vaccaria?" Emarni scolded herself, "You are a mess, all over the place. Your Mother was mad but she knew how to treat her men. Put on a sane front, be a good hostess and save the madness for when you are alone." Then, she went to wash her hair.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

The next time anyone saw Emarni was a surprise to them all. It was mid meal and she had been hiding for the whole night, as well as the one before. And Bertrand was expecting the girl to still be a sobbing, screaming mess; that was what Anna had described the girl as, only to be shushed by her father. Both Anna and Bertrand heard the door creak open and looked up to see the girl standing there. She was dressed casually in her favourite black jeans and a floral top, standing nervously in the doorway. She looked beautiful- no, not beautiful!-  
"May I join you?" Emarni asked quietly.  
"You can take my seat." Anna said quickly, "I was leaving anyway." And she darted from the room before anyone could make any arguments. Emarni hissed after her, baring her fangs.  
"How you have so much dislike for a child you barely know is beyond me." Bertrand said. The girl glared after Anna for a moment before sliding into the seat beside Bertrand.  
"I do not wish to know her." Emarni said, "Can I talk to you?"  
"I thought we already were talking." Bertrand smiled, "But do go on."  
"I... I think I might be turning crazy." Emarni looked at him with eyes full of fear. She looked so scared that Bertrand didn't feel that he could agree. She probably didn't want him to be honest.  
"No." Bertrand said, "You're fine. I've met crazier." The girl didn't look convinced, so he continued, "Really. I mean it. You're..." He struggled for a word, "Lovely." Her eyes widened, "No, not lovely. That was a bad choice of word. Demonic?" The girl visibly winced, "Not demonic. Evil?" The girl shrugged, "Loveldemonevil?" Emarni laughed slightly. Her laugh was melodic, like wind chimes fluttering the wind. Then, she caught herself.  
"How are you, De Fortunesa?" Emarni smiled softly.  
"I'm fine, Miss Emarni." Bertrand replied, deciding not to ask how she was.  
"Do you dance, De Fortunesa?" Emarni said. That puzzled Bertrand. Her questions were always so sudden, as if she had already had half the conversation inside her head. Emarni was smiling at him with a otherwise unreadable expression, her head tilted slightly to one side.  
"No." Bertrand said.  
"Such a shame." Emarni said, "Because the Draculas are holding a dance, to lure me- The Nightmaster- into their clutches. And I intend to go." His eye's widening, Bertrand glanced sideways at the girl. She looked deadly serious, though she was still smiling. Was she joking?  
"You're going into their trap?" Bertrand said, "Why?"  
"Because I am going to trick them." Emarni grinned, "I need to know if they have the map yet."  
"I'm lost." Bertrand gave up on trying to follow.  
"Vladimir attends a boarding school in the North. I have a spy there, keeping an eye on his every movement- Kalliope." Emarni explained, "She overheard Vladimir and Ingrid discussing The Rings of Ikhaso. Then, she saw them sneak into a teacher's office with another girl- Amorette. Profile her for me, will you?"  
"The Element Rings." Bertrand nodded, "And you think they're after them."  
"They will be." Emarni said, "The demons want The Element Rings. Which is why Vladimir wants them and I also want them."  
"Lost again." Bertrand said.  
"I want the rings!" Emarni yelled, her anger flaring up, "Vladimir wants the rings! The Council want the rings! We all want the rings!" She was on her feet, though she didn't recall standing up. She collapsed back into her seat.  
"Come with me. Please." she said, then she added quickly, "We can take Anna with us."  
"No!" Bertrand said, a little too fast, "I don't think it's a good idea to take her with us."  
"So... Just the two of us." Emarni said, "Not like a courtship or anything."  
"Of course not. That would be absurd." Bertrand agreed, avoiding her eyes. Of course. Nothing like a courtship. Because he didn't like her, like that. Not at all. No. Her face broke into a soft smile, tears glittering in her eyes. Why was she sad? Why was she always sad?  
"Would you like to practice? Dancing, that is?" Emarni said, "I am rather unpracticed."

They didn't dance slowly like Emarni imagined her first dance to be. They danced quickly, their hands clasped in each other's. Bertrand knew what he was doing. Emarni did not. It was a good idea to practice. Emarni spun out in a neat circle and was pulled back quickly, Bertrand pulling her close to him.  
"You're very unpracticed." the older vampire commented.  
"I did warn you." Emarni said, stumbling over her feet.  
"You did." Bertrand said. So, he slowed it down and they moved a lot slower. Emarni smiled, trying to move her feet in time with his.  
"Don't watch your feet." Bertrand said. She ignored him and focused on moving her feet, one at a time. He stepped on her toes and she yelped, falling easily. But he grabbed her hand before she could hit the ground.  
"I won't let you fall." Bertrand promised, steadying her, "Don't watch your feet." He lifted her head, his hand beneath her chin. She looked into his intense blue eyes and she kept her gaze there.  
"Move your feet, don't just stop." Bertrand instructed.  
"I cannot move my feet when I cannot see them." Emarni said, staring into his eyes. Uneasily, she stepped to one side and then to the other.  
"You're looking at your feet again." was all Bertrand said, as she stumbled to the side.  
"I need to look at my feet. I need to know that they are still there." Emarni said.  
"I'm pretty sure that's a sign of insecurity." Bertrand said, "I'll catch you if you fall. I promise."  
"I cannot!" Emarni shook her head furiously, her curls flying around her face and lashing at her skin.  
"You can."  
"No!"  
"You like to feel in control, don't you?" Bertrand said. His hands slid down to her waist and they spun in a slow circle.  
"Yes." Emarni said; her hands rested on his shoulders, "We are useless at this." She looked up from where his hands pressed into her hips and took them in her own. She gripped his hands and moved them up, away from her body. Their eyes met and she stared into his eyes, grey blue against bright green.  
"Miss Emarni, something tells me that you don't dance often." Bertrand said.  
"I have no reason to." Emarni said, twirling daintily, "Mother used to hold dances in our old castle, according to Malik."  
"Really?" Bertrand said, thoughtfully, "I wonder if I ever attended."  
"I remember nothing. Malik says that after I was born, Mother went mad. It was all my fault." Emarni stopped where she was and sighed. She tilted a little too far to the left and Bertrand had to catch her in his arms. He held onto her loosely, his face close to hers. His lips were almost brushing against hers.  
"You're younger than Malik, aren't you?" Bertrand checked.  
"By three years." Emarni said, her eyes widening as their faces grew closed, "We have different fathers."  
"You're not a Dracula?" Bertrand rolled his r's and supported her head. Swiftly, he pulled her back to her feet and she stumbled into him. Her body hit his and they both fell to the floor, Emarni landing on top of her.  
"I am a Dracula unfortunately. Malik is not a Dracula." Emarni said, stifling her giggles. She didn't try to get up but just lay there with Bertrand underneath her, looking taken aback.  
"Malik's not a Dracula? There's a surprise." Bertrand rolled his eyes, "Can you please get off?"  
"Do you think I am pretty?" Emarni smiled down at her newest victim.  
"I'm really not comfortable with this." Bertrand said.  
"Humour me." Emarni said. She was thrown off easily and Bertrand gave her a weird look before walking away. _  
_

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

_Thank you for reading, please review. _

_Any good anime anyone can recommend to me? I've watched Death Note and want to check out some more. Please leave suggestions. _

_- Angels xox_


	6. Chapter Six

_*crawls out from under duvet* Hellooooo... *duvet cocoons* _

_So, The Draculas try to lure the Nightmaster into their clutches using a party but Emarni's not an idiot. She wants the map for the Rings of Ikhaso but it doesn't go quite to plan. I need to get someone to proofread for me because I am terrible at it, uggggghhhhhhhhh..._

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Tying purple hair ribbons on the bottom of Anna's braids, Bertrand couldn't help feel a little sad to be leaving her behind. She was obviously felt sad about it too, sitting at the bottom of the stairs and looking at him with big eyes.  
"Don't leave me, Father. I want to go to the party." Anna said, playing with one of her braids.  
"It's a grown up party." Bertrand told her, "I wish you could come too." Pouting, Anna just sat and looked at him until he felt incredibly guilty. She really knew how to trick people- just like her mother.  
"I wanted to meet the Draculas." Anna said.  
"Why?" demanded Bertrand, wondering what she might've heard. The girl looked a little taken aback, as if she hadn't expected him to react like that. Maybe she didn't know anything.  
"It's just- you always talk about them. I want to meet them." Anna insisted and her father let out a sigh of relief.  
"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't think they'd like you." Bertrand said. The girl looked down, resting her elbows on her knees.  
"But Emarni likes me. And you like me. Why wouldn't they?" Anna frowned.  
"Because... Because they're horrible people." Bertrand said, "And they might try to hurt you." The girl didn't look surprised. She knew that there were people out there that wanted to hurt her and steal her gift; her father had told her repeatedly as she was growing up. Because he didn't want her to get hurt.  
"You're trying to protect me." Anna said. For a moment, she said nothing. And then she asked:  
"Do you love Miss Emarni?" Yet again, Bertrand was taken aback. He didn't know that a small child could understand the concept of love, let alone recognise it. And to conjure up the idea of a relationship of him and Emarni. Was Anna falling ill or something? He pressed a hand to her forehead.  
"What do you mean, Anna?" Bertrand asked, checking his daughter's temperature.  
"It's just that-" the girl inhaled deeply, "You always smile at her and you look happy when she's around. She's clever too and she knows what she's doing. She's very pretty too but... She's broken. You need to fix her." The girl looked at him positively like she was sure of it. You need to fix her.  
"People aren't like vases; you can't fix them. They're not like puzzles; you can't put them back together. They're like people and people can't be broken, only chipped and chips are what make us who we are." Bertrand said, pressing a hand to the girl's face. If his daughter was any older, she would've rolled her eyes and declared it nonsense.  
"But Emarni's not a person." Anna insisted, "She's like... Like... Not a person." A frown crossed the girl's face again, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion. She stood up and straightened the skirt of her dress, brushing it with her hands.  
"How can she not be a person?" Bertrand asked curiously. Small children do and say the most intriguing things. He had always found his daughter to be very intelligent and amusing- how could he ever live without her?  
"People have to treat other people like people. She's mean to people and children. I think she's a monster- she can't even control herself." Anna struggled to explain, "She's like... The monsters under the bed. She's got like a monster inside her, telling her what to do and... She can't control it." Anna said.  
"Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." Bertrand said. His daughter didn't understand so she just shook her head and stood up.  
"Stay here, Anna." he told her, patting her gently on the shoulder.  
"Look after Miss Emarni." Anna made him promise, linking her pinky finger with his, "She needs you."

Meanwhile, Emarni was upstairs on her own. She was in her en suite bathroom, dusting her face with glittery powder and wishing that she had a reflection. It was very difficult to apply make-up to her face when she couldn't even see herself. With a sigh, she gave up on any attempt of looking pretty and threw her make-up down on the side. It slid off the edge and hit the floor.  
"Oh bats." Emarni growled, kneeling down to pick it up. That was when something caught her eye. Something glittering behind her bathroom sink.  
"What the-?" She reached behind the sink and groped for the sparkling thing, grabbing it in her hands. She felt the long golden chain sliding through her fingertips and pulled it from behind the sink. She recognised it instantly. Her locket. The locket her Mother had given her when she was a child. A locket  
"How did it get here?" Emarni muttered. It was broken, the clasp broken open and the front hanging off. The chain was rusting like it had been dropped in a lake. She could've sworn that she had thrown it away in Romania. How did it get here?  
"Miss Emarni!" Bertrand called up the stairs, "Are you ready to leave?"  
"Just a minute." Emarni called back, shoving the locket in her dress pocket. She would have to figure out why her locket was here later. She couldn't ask Bertrand in case he knew something, she couldn't ask anyone in fact. She stood up, took a glance in the mirror, remembered that she didn't have a goddamn reflection and left the room.  
"Miss Emarni!" Bertrand insisted. She ran down the stairs much too quickly, falling down the last seven, and landing in Bertrand's arms. He caught her luckily and she didn't break her head open.  
"Hello." she grinned up at him, "I apologise."  
"Should we go now?" Bertrand said, steadying the girl on her feet.  
"I think so." Emarni said.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Her hair was neatly pinned up with a few strands of hair curling loose around her face. Her gorgeous eyes were perfectly exaggerated, painted around using a shade of green that matched the flecks in her irises. Her lips were painted a slightly pinker shade than usual. Her skinny frame was shaped into an almost adult form, her curves standing out a little- she was so differently built to Ingrid. She was wearing a dress, a black dress with a frilly skirt. There were several layers of lace stitched to it. A matching bow was clipped to the side of her head. Sock less as usual, she was wearing black scruffy converse that were so worn out that they were almost grey. Rainbow bracelets covered her arms from the wrists to the elbows.  
"Do I look bad?" Emarni frowned at him, "Honestly?"  
"No... You look... Beautiful." Bertrand shrugged, feeling incredibly undressed in his usual clothes.  
"Unrecognisable?" Emarni said, hopefully, "My brother will be there." She did look a lot different but only because of her hair. It was brown; a deep shade of reddish brown, dyed the night before by hand. Bertrand had helped her.

After he had tucked Anna into bed and checked for monsters several times, he had gone to check on Emarni. He had began to feel responsible for her, the same way he felt responsible for his own daughter. So, he had gone to knock on her bedroom door.  
"Come in!" Nia and Emarni called in perfect synchronisation. Carefully, Bertrand pushed the door open and was surprised to find Emarni not sitting in the window seat.  
"Hello Master Bertrand." Nia peeked around the bathroom door, smiling. Slowly, Bertrand wandered over to the bathroom and was confused at what he saw. Emarni was stood by bathtub, Nia pulling at the girl's hair and holding it underneath the shower head.  
"What are you doing?" Bertrand asked.  
"We're dying her hair." Nia said.  
"Ow!" Emarni squealed as Nia yanked at her hair, pulling it underneath the shower. Water splashed in the girl's face and into her mouth, practically choking her.  
"Nia!" She growled, spitting a mouthful of water into the bathtub. Her eyes streamed and Bertrand grabbed her by the arm. He tugged her out of Nia's grip, turning the shower off.  
"Any particular reason you're dying your hair?" Bertrand said, taking the gloves from Nia, "For a disguise, perhaps?" He pulled them on and supported Emarni's neck, helping her lean back over the bath.  
"Have you ever done this before?" Emarni asked, as Bertrand began to wash her hair for her. He massaged the shampoo into her scalp, careful not to rub it in her eyes.  
"No." Bertrand said, "You?"  
"Never." Emarni said. All Bertrand could remember from then onwards was that he hated watching her hair turn from beautiful blonde curls to murky red brown- like mud.

"Your hair. You should wear it down." Bertrand said now. And he grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around slowly. Carefully, he tugged the pins from her hair and let it fall loose around her shoulders. He ran his fingers through it and turned her around. It looked much better down. He reattached her hair clip so that it pulled her messy hair out of her eyes and showed them off. She didn't look like Emarni until you got up close. Except for the eyes.  
"Hold on." Bertrand said, pulling a small box from her pocket and opening it. He took out a pair of blue contacts and held them out for her.  
"What are they?" Emarni asked, looking at him curiously.  
"Contact lenses. They change your eye colour. I thought that your eyes might stand out a little." Bertrand said, "Let me help you. Don't blink." The girl widened her already huge eyes and Bertrand pressed the lens to her left eye. She blinked furiously, her hand going to her eye.  
"Ow." Emarni said, tears forming in her tear ducts. Carefully, Bertrand pressed the other lens to Emarni's right eye and watched as her beautiful green eyes turned to a murky shade of pond blue. He dabbed at the tears beginning to dribble down her pale cheeks, brushing them away slowly.  
"Do I look pretty?" Emarni asked, close enough that he could feel her skin almost touching his.  
"You don't look like you." Bertrand said, looking at the murky blue eyes and the thick reddish brown hair. Smiling, he held out a hand for her.  
"Is that a good thing?" Emarni took his hand.  
"No." Bertrand replied and they began to walk slowly towards the doors. This was a different house to the one Emarni had described to him; the Draculas had obviously moved.  
"They will recognise you." Emarni realised, her hand still clasped in his.  
"But they won't recognise you." Bertrand said, "You can be my friend; if anyone asks, your name is Emilie and you don't speak English." They probably wouldn't recognise her, (he could barely recognise her, he kept expecting to see blonde curls and demonic green eyes), but who knew? The Draculas did share the same flesh and blood as the Vaccaria girl, just about. Emarni giggled nervously, pushing a lock of dark hair aside. Their hands closely linked, Emarni wrapped her arm around his. At the door, they were stopped by a familiar dark haired boy.  
"Bertrand?" Vlad said, throwing his arms around Bertrand. Silently, Emarni pulled her arm free and stepped to one side. She watched as Vlad hugged Bertrand tightly and refused to let go.  
"I thought you were dead. Blood and garlic, I felt so guilty." Vlad apologised again and again, until Bertrand managed to shut him up.  
"I don't blame you. You were tricked." Bertrand said, "By Elisabetta." That was when Vlad released Bertrand and turned to Emarni, frowning a little. The girl shivered at her mother's name and Vlad noticed.  
"Do I know you?" he asked, his head tilting slightly to one side.  
"This is my... Friend." Bertrand said without a pause, "Emilie.  
She's visiting from the Old Country. She speaks very little English." Shyly, Emarni offered her brother a shrug and ducked behind Bertrand.  
"Salut Emilie." Vlad said gently, "Ce mai fici? How are you?" The girl gave him another shrug, her head tilted forward so that he wouldn't recognise her. Her hair curled in front of her face.  
"Delightful." Vlad said, his eyes sparkling, "You've done well for yourself, Bertrand." He glanced at the girl then at Bertrand, suggestively. Nervously, Emarni laughed and Bertrand shrugged. Vlad could assume all he liked.  
"I heard rumours that you were away. At boarding school." Bertrand said, smiling uneasily at Vlad. The Grand High Vampire shrugged at him:  
"Special occasion." he said.  
"I see." Bertrand said, deciding not to push the subject.  
"Well, go on inside." Vlad grinned, "Bertrand, Emilie." Bertrand nodded to him and smiled, Emarni dipping into into a small curtesy. They ducked past him and dodged inside.

She held him by the hand and lead him through the room, waiting for people to move aside before walking past them- not barging past them like she normally would. She tugged him behind a pillar in the main in the hall before collapsing in a fit of joyful giggles. She jumped up and down, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes. She grabbed Bertrand by the hands and swung him around in a circle.  
"He believed us! He believed us!" Emarni sung, "We just fooled the Grand High Vampire!" Then, she stopped and smoothed out her skirt, smothering her giggles.  
"I know." Bertrand said, "Let's go and find somewhere to sit."

The pair ended up sat on the window sill, which Bertrand found incredibly amusing. What was it with Emarni and sitting by windows? Maybe she liked to look out of them? But she never seemed to look out of them, only staring at her feet or her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. Whilst she normally sat on her own, with her back resting against one side of the window and her feet resting against the other side, she was nicer this time. She moved to one side to let Bertrand sit beside her, not looking at her. She sat with her head slightly lowered, her dark curls falling in her face; Bertrand sat beside her, his hands resting on either side of his legs. If Emarni even moved an inch, she'd kick him by accident.  
"No socks?" Bertrand teased, as the girl stretched her legs out and kicked him in the leg. She gave him an apologetic look with her murky eyes.  
"Emarni Persephone Vaccaria does not wear middle socks." Emarni said darkly, as if her wearing socks would end the would as they knew it.  
"That's your middle name? Persephone?" Bertrand chuckled.  
"Is it funny?" Emarni looked worried, moving her feet to rest on Bertrand's lap. For a tall person, she had incredibly petite feet with equally small ankles. Her shoes were even scruffier up close and the heels were covered in dry mud- Bertrand could probably tell where she'd been if he examined her shoes properly.  
"It's... It's beautiful." Bertrand said.  
"Thank you." Emarni said, managing a small smile. She stared him in the eyes, her smile widening a little. She leant forward a little and Bertrand found himself leaning towards her. That was when they were interrupted.  
"Bertrand, I heard you were back." The Count came over to them, swishing his cloak. He gave Bertrand a look that was somewhere between happy and angry. Then, it just became angry. Emarni actively winced, cringing away and Bertrand reached for her hand, subtly. He could not find it.  
"I sent a letter. I have a feeling that it was not well received." Bertrand said, looking up at The Count. The man didn't physically looked any older but looked more tired, as if he had been through more. His hair was not as wonderful as it once was.  
"On the contrary, the fire received it very well." The Count laughed as if he was funny. Bertrand found Emarni's hand and his fingers wriggled in between hers, squeezing his hand gratefully.  
"I want you to keep away. From Vlad." The Count slammed his hands down on the window seat, smacking the space in between Bertrand and Emarni. Their hands broke apart and Emarni cringed away so quickly that her face hit the wall. Fear shone in her eyes and Bertrand only got a glance of it, because she looked away.  
"Keep away from my son. You and your... Girlfriend!" The Count sped away before Bertrand could argue with him. Emarni said nothing and Bertrand made no effort to talk to her.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

There came a time where they had to dance; Bertrand guiding the girl with his carefully placed hands, Emarni trying her best not to trip over her own feet. She was still a rather clumsy dancer, lacking a surprising amount of coordination for someone so light on her feet. Eventually, Bertrand resorted to letting her stand on his feet whilst he spun around slowly. She giggled and clung to him, her arms wrapped firmly around him.  
"Emar- Emilie." Bertrand corrected himself, staring straight ahead. Standing on the top of a small flight of stairs was an easily recognisable vampire; Malik Vaccaria, staring at them almost blankly. Was he looking at them or past them?  
"Yes?" Emarni whispered in his ear.  
"Your brother has been staring at us for the past five minutes." Bertrand told her and she broke away from him quickly.  
"I need to go and find the map; you can talk to Malik." Emarni said. Careful not to look at her brother, the girl crossed the room, dodging between other vampires. None of them even offered her a glance and she returned the favour. Then, she was walking quickly towards the door and then suddenly she was gone. Bertrand found himself staring blankly in the direction that she had gone, for a few moments, before pulling himself back together. Then, he wandered over to Emarni's brother and found himself trying to make conversation.

"Malik." Bertrand said awkwardly, after he stood beside the boy for ten minutes with speaking, "It's been a while." As if he hadn't noticed him, Malik turned slowly to face him. He looked more serious than Bertrand remembered, a little older perhaps. Perhaps he had grown into his age a little- he had certainly been through a lot more.  
"Hello Berty." Malik's lip curled and suddenly he was a child again, the same as he had been four or five years ago. That was all it took to utterly annoy Bertrand; he had been willing to forgive Malik for trying to kill him, for trying to kill Vlad and for pretending to be a Dracula. But now he was annoyed again.  
"Bertrand." Bertrand corrected with a snarl.  
"Hello Bertrand. I heard you were back." Ingrid crossed her arms, walking over to where the pair stood. She joined Malik's side, looking at Bertrand then at Malik, then at Bertrand and then back again. She frowned.  
"Me and Ingrid are together now." Malik gave Bertrand a look that clearly warned him to back off.  
"I was aware. I also heard that you had a daughter?" Bertrand said, trying to show interest.  
"Yes. Seraphina." Malik said, "We don't know where she is right now but..." He shrugged and looked away. Whilst he looked away firmly, obviously a little sensitive about the subject, (Malik? Sensitive? What an amazing turn of events!), Ingrid stood her ground.  
"She's probably dead." she scowled, "Who cares?" Malik offered her a dark look, that seemed to suggest that he would kill her if she continued. Ingrid opened her mouth to argue.  
"I have a daughter too." Bertrand said quickly, before it could erupt into a full scale argument.  
"Really?" Ingrid said, "With who?" Bertrand panicked and came up with the quickest excuse he could think of. It wasn't a good excuse, not even close to the truth. And Emarni would strangle him if she found out.  
"I had... An affair." he lied smoothly, "With a girl."  
"Not Vlad then?" Ingrid said innocently and Malik snickered.  
"Nothing happened between me and Vlad, as I've told you time and time again." Bertrand said.  
"So, you have a girlfriend?" Malik said, "Who is it?"  
"Just a girl." Bertrand said vaguely, thinking only of blonde curls and green eyes.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Whilst she was waiting for an opportunity to sneak away and find the map, Emarni found herself watching a female werewolf. She was puzzled. She knew of her father's hatred for werewolves, (ever since Magda had left him for one), and wondered why he would allow the girl in. The werewolf was sat alone at a table clothed in black, her eyes focused on the floor. She was incredibly out of her depth. There were no other werewolves here, as far as Emarni knew- there was Katherine spinning around on the dance floor, a few scattered pixies throughout the room and three or four minor "good" demons- but no other werewolves. No wonder the werewolf looked nervous. It was then that the girl caught Emarni's eye; she was a young woman around nineteen or twenty and not particularly becoming at that. The werewolf stared at Emarni with her mud coloured eyes and knew that something wasn't right with the vampire. The look they shared only lasted a moment but that was long enough. The werewolf saw straight through her disguise, recognised her from the newspapers and she gasped. But Emarni recognised the werewolf girl too and decided to introduce herself formerly. She moved from the doorway that she was standing in, careful not to approach too quickly.  
"I know who you are, Miss Clarke." Emarni whispered in the woman's ear and watched her jump in amusement.  
"I know who you are, Miss Vaccaria." the werewolf replied, a beat too late.  
"Not too loudly, if you please." Emarni joined the werewolf's table and smoothed her curls back over her shoulders; she smiled coldly, "My name is Emarni... But you must call me Emilie."  
"I'm Carolyn... But you're supposed to be dead." the werewolf said, returning the unfriendly smile. A cigarette was gripped tightly in Carolyn's hand, smoke swirling in delicate clouds that formed at the tip. She gave Emarni a look that was difficult to read.  
"I know." Emarni said, "On a scale of nine to ten, how much do you detest my family?" Carolyn stared at her for a moment, an interested look shining in her eyes. Her eyes really were incredibly dull and framed by glass with thick black frames, which only emphasised her ugly eyes. And her hair- oh goodness, her hair!- was tied up tightly to hide the fact that it was a colour halfway between light brown and blonde. It didn't really suit the girl's freckled skin. The only nice thing- and Emarni intended to bring out the best in Carolyn- was the girl's beautiful long legs. Despite being freckled, her legs were a lovely shade of golden brown and were gloriously long. The glory ended at the girl's black plimsolls.  
"I do not detest your family. Only your sister." Carolyn seemed to say it casually, as if she wasn't intending to insult anyone. She glanced around to see if Ingrid had overheard and was glad to see that she hadn't.  
"Ingrid? Pray, do tell why." Emarni shuffled a little closer, fully unnerving the werewolf. She could see it in the girl's face that she was beginning to panic a little.  
"She dated my brother. And killed him." Carolyn said and she took another drag from her cigarette. Everything did seem to begin and end with death, when it came to the Dracula family.  
"Who was your brother?" Emarni asked, curiously, wondering if she knew him.  
"William Clarke. You knew him?" Carolyn said and when the girl shook her head, she continued, "He was sixteen when we moved to Stokely. He fell head over heels in love with Ingrid." She said the girl's name as if it were a swear word, as if it tasted foul in her mouth, "Every boy did. I was only nine at the time, I didn't know that they were serious. Then, one day, he went out with her and never came home. I didn't even know that he was dead until I was turned into a werewolf late one night, (in hindsight, I shouldn't have walked down that dark street alone). Once I found out that such things as vampires existed, I put two and two together. Ingrid's a freakily pale girl with an interest in the macabre. It didn't take long to find out her true identity. Ingrid Count, my ass. What kind of cover name is that anyway?" Carolyn took a deep breath, "Me and Tristan- that's my other brother- searched for years but never found Will. Turns out that he was dusted. Now, I'm a werewolf and Tristan still hunts demons." At the name Tristan, Emarni's brain kicked in and she remembered. He was the demon hunter child, the one that she had killed. The one that knew Katherine- isn't it weird how everything adds up? She decided not to bring this up to Carolyn.  
"You must hate Ingrid as much as I do." Emarni said, her eyes full of glee. She covered them quickly, ducking her head as Katherine swept past their table. Her hair flopped into her eyes, the strands of red and brown shining in the candle light.  
"Seems to be the cases. Perhaps I even dislike her more?" A harsh laugh from Emarni.  
"Not possible." she said bitterly, "Nobody detests my family more than me. Might I ask a favour of you?"  
"I suppose." Carolyn said, looking rather bored of the conversation by now. Teenagers and their short attention spans, Emarni thought. She resisted the urge to scoff loudly.  
"I will be in touch. Consider us comrades." Emarni said. Glancing over, she realised that the party had moved mainly to outside and the stairway was free. Bertrand had vanished alongside her brother.

There was no evidence of anyone upstairs and so Emarni began to search. She checked behind paintings, inside drawers and under furniture. She tore the pages out of books furiously, giving up on the idea of being secretive. They wanted the Nightmaster? She'd give them the Nightmaster. She kicked a chair aside. That was when she was confronted. Well, not exactly confronted.  
"Hello?" came a child's voice, "Father? Miss Emarni?" It was the Little Brat. Dressed in her best black dress, Anna stood at the end of the corridor. It had to be Anna because who else could it be? How many seven year olds followed Emarni around?  
"Little Brat!" Emarni snarled, stalking down the corridor. If Bertrand wasn't downstairs, she would have ripped the skin from that irritating child and used it to paper the walls of her home. But she would have to make do with scaring the child instead.  
"Miss Emarni, I'm sorry if I-" Emarni struck a blow across the child's face and the girl stumbled, clutching at her face. Anna De Fortunesa fell to the floor, a red mark already growing on her face. She let out a small cry and Emarni slammed her hands other the girl's mouth.  
"Shut up, Little Brat!" Emarni shrieked. The girl gave her a look of fear and something changed. Emarni wasn't herself anymore; she was her mother.

Emarni was her mother, her eyes crazy and far away. She stood tall over the child that could never fight back and tried to hurt her. Not because she wanted to but because she wanted to feel powerful. She wanted to know that someone was under her power. And, for that split second, Anna became a younger Emarni. A wide eyed girl with a terrified look on her pale face. A girl that knew that the next hit was coming and was ready, quaking in fear. She knew not to run.  
"Aren't you going to hit me?" Anna said, her voice shaking a little. Looking down at the small girl, Emarni didn't lower her hand.  
"Go home, Little Brat. Nia shall protect you." Emarni said, "Do me a favour and save yourself from me!" Then, she swung her hand out, aiming for the girl's chest. The girl ducked and ran, running towards the stairs. Not able to control herself, Emarni ran after her until she reached the top of the stairs. She only stopped because Anna ripped off a piece of the banister and threw it at Emarni. It hit her hard in the face and the girl tumbled over. Pausing for only a moment, Emarni threw out her hand and a web fire spun from her hand, pinning Anna to the ground. The girl screamed as it burned at her flesh.  
"Run! I am begging you!" Emarni shrieked at her, as her fangs lowered dramatically. She threw herself at the girl, aiming for the jugular.  
"No, you run!" Anna insisted, "I can lie for you." She kicked the three hundred and something year old off her and Emarni sprawled to the floor. That kid was incredibly strong. Throwing her curls out of her eyes, Emarni knelt up and snarled. She flung herself at the girl and pinned her against the wall.  
"Miss Emarni!" Anna squealed. Then, Emarni saw herself in Anna again. And she was so taken aback that she didn't notice the girl wriggling free. She slumped against the wall.  
"I'm getting Father." Anna said, darting off down the corridor.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

There was a witch staring at him, her eyes never breaking away from him for even a second. She got up, wandering absentmindedly over to where he was standing. She tugged absentmindedly a necklace around her neck with a symbol on it, that Bertrand didn't recognise. That was odd; he knew most witchcraft symbols.  
"We haven't met." the girl said, "I'm Katherine Mistletoe- I'm friends with Malik, hopefully a little more someday." Her hair was blown slightly to the left in the wind, her braids falling to one side.  
"I'm Bertrand De Fortunesa. I'm... A friend of the family." Bertrand said. Oh yes, a friend of all the family indeed. Hated by The Count, suspected by Ingrid and Malik, never able to say the right thing to Emarni and now he couldn't even see Vlad.  
"I wondered if you might like to dance?" Katherine said, holding out a hand to him. She was a beautiful young girl, her face still fresh and pretty. But her markings around her neck, on her wrists and painted on her hands were of old. They unnerved Bertrand.  
"No, thank you." He said.  
"You waiting for someone?" She replied.  
"Sort of." Bertrand glanced towards the door and wondered where Emarni could possibly be. He needed her to save him from the witch girl and her endless arguing. She was not going to leave him alone, that was clear.  
"Who?"  
"Just someone." He was saved by someone that he didn't expect. The girl ran across the back garden, ducking underneath people's arms and legs. There were red marks all over her body, what looked like burn marks.  
"Father!" Anna cried, dashing over to him and throwing her arms around him. Surprised, Bertrand lifted his daughter up and she clung to him like a monkey.  
"Anna?" he said, "Why are you here?" His daughter nuzzled into him, her skin burning. She whispered in his ear.  
"Emarni's gone crazy again. She's at the bottom of the stairs, she told me to run and her eyes went all black. She hurt me, Father, look." She showed him the burn marks that traced up and down her arms, as well as the bruises to her face.  
"This is my daughter, Anna." Bertrand introduced to Katherine, "Give us a moment." He ordered, instead of asking. The witch looked at him for a moment before wandering away, clearly eager to gossip. Bertrand hurried inside, Anna still balanced on his hip.

True to the girl's word, Emarni was sitting on the bottom of the stairs and her head was buried in her hands. Holding Anna carefully, Bertrand sat down and Anna wriggled into his lap. Gently, Bertrand touched the Vaccaria's arm. She didn't look up.  
"I am a horrible person." Emarni said. Looking at the girl's dark hair curling over her shoulders, Bertrand decided that he preferred her blonde. Again, he pressed a few fingers to the girl's arm. That time she did look up.  
"It hurts inside of me." Emarni said. She didn't cry but she had a miserable expression on her face.  
"Don't be sad, Miss Emarni." Anna said quietly, "You meant no harm." She tried to crawl into the girl' slap but was pushed away firmly.  
"Keep away from me, Little Brat!" Emarni said and her voice broke mid-sentence; she sighed, "Anna, go and find a young woman called Carolyn. Tell her that you are a friend of mine and that she should walk you home. You know the address. Your father will be there soon." Very slowly, Anna stood, pressing a kiss to her father's forehead. Then, she walked away and only glanced back once. Emarni hissed at her and she scarpered completely.  
"You're not coming back, are you?" Bertrand said, pulling her close to him. She shook her head.  
"You have been wonderful to me. Which is why, I must let you go. You have returned feelings into my unlife and... I need to turn them off again." Emarni said, "Feelings are for the weak."  
"Feelings are for the strong." Bertrand corrected, "Those who can wake up and face them. Those who run away from them are weak." He stroked the girl's curls and she let out a small whimper. She pulled away quickly, lifting her head to look at him.  
"You and Anna are to have my belongings; all of them. My staff too. Everything... Everything yours." Emarni spoke a little too quickly, "I am going to run away from my feelings."  
"I can't take your house, Miss Emarni, let along your belongings." Bertrand said, "At least come home and-"  
"No." Emarni said.  
"Well, then." Bertrand said and he drew from his jacket pocket, a large book with definitely over a million pages in it, "At least take this with you." He took a pen from his pocket and scribbled something on the first page. Emarni sat beside him and watched as he scratched what looked like gibberish to her, across the page. When he was done, he pressed the book into her hands.  
"I cannot read well enough." Emarni said. She refused to take it, letting the book rest on the palms of her hand.  
"You don't have to read it. Just take it." Bertrand said, "Circle the words you don't understand. One day, I'll see you again and I'll help you with them." Frowning, Emarni traced the golden lettering on the front of the book.  
"G-R-E-A-T." Emarni spelled it out, "Gee-argh-ee-eight."  
"Great. Great Expectations." Bertrand decided to help her.  
"I cannot even make it through the title." Emarni sighed and she hugged it to her chest, "How will I read the whole book?"  
"Be safe. Remember to eat or feed at least." Bertrand said, deciding not to answer her question. The girl smiled, pecked him on the cheek and disappeared out of the window. He didn't see her again for quite a while.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

_Please read and review, my lovelies. _

_Question of the Day: What do you think Bertrand wrote in the front of Great Expectations before he gave it to Emarni?_

_Lots of love to you._

_- Angels xox_


	7. Chapter Seven

Quite a lot occurred after Emarni left the party, according to a breather newspaper that she found wedged in a bin- that was judging by the picture,of the house being burnt to the ground. She was sitting in a breather cafe, playing with a slice of chocolate cake and wondering why breathers would eat such muck. Her other hand rested on the newspaper, which she was struggling to decipher. She was waiting for somebody to walk past so that she could ask them to read it to her. Luckily for her, a waitress came over to see her, probably because it was eleven at night and Emarni was the only person in there.  
"It's awful, isn't it?" the woman said and she must have seen the confused expression on Emarni's face, "The fire at the Count house?"  
"I struggle with English." Emarni said, making sure to pronounce the soft i's incorrectly and use her accent. Now, she didn't sound like a stupid girl who could not read. She just sounded like a foreigner.  
"Ah, I see." The woman smiled softly and slid into the seat opposite her. Watching the pulse throb in the woman's neck, Emarni grinned down at her hands. She was thirsty, now that she thought about it. It had been weeks since her last drink.  
"Last night, there was a fire at Count house." The woman said helpfully, "Killed seven people. There was a party there or something. Nobody would speak to the newspapers." Seven people killed. Seven people. How excellent. Emarni resisted the urge to cheer and grinned further.  
"The bodies were burnt to ashes." The woman said, "So, what brings you here?" Emarni just gave her a shrug and returned to poking at her cake with a fork, breaking it up into small pieces.  
"Not running away from home, are we?" The waitress checked.  
"You could say that." Emarni said. She didn't break her gaze away from the woman, until the poor waitress began to look unnerved.  
"So, are you an immigrant?" The waitress asked.  
"Excuse me." Emarni snapped suddenly, "But my parents moved to this country long ago before you English people started being racist towards us." She slammed her hand down on the table and her eyes slowly dissolved into a yellower shade of green. She stared deeply into the woman's eyes.  
"Might I have your wrist, young lady?" Emarni asked politely and the hypnotised woman offered up her vein. Forgetting to check that nobody was watching, Emarni sunk her fangs into the woman's wrist and the sour blood of an alcoholic splashed over her tongue. It ran over her tongue and down her throat, warming her throat quickly.  
"You should really have checked if there was anyone else in here." came a smug voice. Licking the rest of blood from the woman's wrist, Emarni looked into her eyes.  
"Remember nothing." Then, she snapped her fingers and the woman fainted promptly. She turned slowly, nothing left to lose and saw a werewolf girl sitting on the counter. An annoying werewolf in a striped t-shirt with dark hair and muddy eyes. A werewolf that Emarni had forgotten to contact since the night before.  
"Carolyn." Emarni hissed, "What the hell?" With a shrug, Carolyn leant over and flicked the switch. The lights flickered off, plunging the room into darkness. It took less than a second for Emarni's to adjust to the darkness.  
"What the hell?" she repeated.  
"I assumed you didn't really want me taking the girl home." Carolyn said, her eyes glowing red in the darkness. Emarni thought that werewolf eyes glowing in the dark was a myth that her mother had invented, (Emarni's mother had always been telling her scary things about the outside world to keep her inside, more and more as she got older), but apparently not.  
"What the hell, Carolyn?" Emarni said for the third time, walking over to where the girl sat on the counter. The werewolf girl leapt down from the counter and gestured for the girl to follow her from the room. And so the vampire followed the werewolf into the back room.  
"Why the hell are you here?" Emarni demanded, crossing her arms as she walked after the other girl. Had Carolyn followed her? Had anyone else? Self consciously, Emarni glanced behind her and was happy to find nobody behind her.  
"I work here, Emsy-Wemsy." Carolyn snapped, mockingly, pointing to the badge that was stuck to her chest, (it read: Caroline, which Emarni probably would've found amusing if she knew what it said). Why would Carolyn have to work at a breather establishment? Emarni didn't know anybody that worked at breather establishments or anyone that worked at all.  
"My name is not 'Emsy-Wemsy'." Emarni hissed at her, aiming a kick at the girl's shin. The werewolf dodged and shot her a smirk.  
"Might I ask why you drained my colleague?" Carolyn asked.  
"I was thirsty and she had a pulse?" Emarni shrugged her shoulders.  
"You've still got contacts in." Carolyn told the girl, turning to look at the girl. Carefully, Emarni began to remove her colour contacts, popping them out one at a time. Her eyes melted back into their usual cat green.  
"So... The girl? The child?" Carolyn returned to the subject. Removing her left lens, Emarni waited for her to continue. In answer, Carolyn flung open a cupboard door and a body collapsed on the floor. It was the body of a small unconscious girl with dark hair falling messily from her usually neat plaits. Her frilly dress was covered in mud and rainwater. The girl lay on the floor, her limbs sprawled at an angle.  
"Anna." Emarni said and the girl winced in recognition. She was coming around.  
"Oh, that's her name?" Carolyn said, "I thought she might be Princess Seraphina." Her hand going to her pocket, Emarni frowned at the unconscious girl on the floor. Her fingers brushed over the golden locket.  
"Father..." Anna murmured faintly.  
"Get up, Little Brat!" Emarni instructed, kicking the girl's body. Weakly, Anna knelt up and looked in fear at the pair standing over her. Her dark eyes flicked between the werewolf standing with her hands on her hips and the abusive vampire with her arms crossed.  
"Where is Father? I thought you loved him." Anna frowned up at her. That irritated the vampire.  
"I detest your father. He betrayed me!" Emarni snarled, her fingers wriggling their way into her pocket. Whilst the girl looked up at her, expecting to be hit, Emarni's fingers brushed against the golden chain of her locket. She pulled it from her pocket and held it up for the girl, as evidence of Bertrand's betrayal.  
"That's my locket!" Anna cried, "Where did you get it? Did Nia give it to you?" Nia? Oh, that evil little Egyptian girl! She betrayed Emarni as well. Emarni was right to cut off all personal bonds with all of them.  
"No, it is my locket!" Emarni said, "It has pictures of my parents inside!" She held out the broken locket for the girl to see.  
"But... My locket doesn't open. You broke it!" Anna shouted, "My father gave that to me and you broke it!" She tried to punch the vampire but Emarni grabbed the small girl's arm.  
"I did not break it!" Emarni snapped, "Why would I break my locket?"  
"It's my locket!"  
"Then, why does it have my mother and father inside?"  
"Both of you, shut up!" Carolyn screamed at them, then she added in a whisper, "Do you hear that? Princess SeraphAnna? Emsy-Wemsy?" From that point on, they were stuck with nicknames. Both Emarni and Anna tried to speak but were shushed. That was when they heard it; the crashing in the main room of the cafe.  
"Should we go see?" Anna whispered. Silently, Carolyn gave her a nod and began to crawl towards the door. Anna close behind and Emarni following hesitantly; she was not keen on getting killed before she could ask Carolyn more about the murders. She hoped her brother had been killed- it would save her the trouble.

They reached the door and Carolyn pulled it open a crack, peering around it carefully.  
"What is it?" Anna hissed.  
"Shut up, Little Brat." Emarni hissed back at her. The door slid open and the three of them fell into the cafe. Looking around warily, Emarni was the first back on her feet. She didn't see anything irregular the first time. The second time, she noticed something. The body of the waitress was gone from the table. There was a deafening roar and the roof was ripped off the building.  
"What the hell?" Carolyn screamed, as a demon towered over them. It was coloured purple with slime dripping from it's mouth.  
"I am the great Okalala!" The demon roared, "I have come for Princess Seraphina, the weapon!" It drooled and purple slime dripped down, nearly hitting the vampire. It melted the floor of the building and the table on it, like acid. Emarni screamed in fear.  
"We do not have the Princess!" Carolyn yelled, "Only a small annoying child called Anna!"  
"I smell shapeshifter!" Okalala peered down at them, kneeling down to get a little closer. He looked over Carolyn without so much as a second glance, then he paused at Emarni.  
"You're the Dracula. Be grateful that The Master brought you back!" Okalala roared at her, his foul breath hitting the girls in the face. All of them actively winced and Carolyn faked gagging- or perhaps really gagged.  
"I am grateful!" Emarni responded, "And I have never been grateful before in my whole unlife!" Thinking about it, Emarni remembered that The Master was the demon's name for Julian, the slayer boy who had given up his body for the demon. He was the first one that she saw when she woke up.

"Miss Vaccaria, how do you feel?" Julian had smiled eerily at her. His face was much too close to hers and she became suddenly aware that her arms were strapped to a chair. As were her legs, she realised when she tried to wriggle free.  
"You killed me." she gasped for breath. Death had been a sudden darkness, just a lot of nothingness followed by an incredibly bright light. And now she was here, in the dungeon of her old castle.  
"But we brought you back." Julian argued, still smiling at her.  
"I saw a light." Emarni said, trying to wriggle free of the argentalium chains and failing, "It was beautiful."

"Seraphina!" Okalala picked up the small child and looked at her. Anna screamed in utter terror, kicking her legs furiously. Her eyes widened.  
"Can we not just let him have her?" Emarni asked and earned an amused look from the werewolf girl.  
"I'm not Seraphina! I'm Anna De Fortunesa!" Anna shrieked, "Put me down."  
"I smell shapeshifter on you!" Okalala insisted, sniffing her, "It's delicious." Carolyn looked at Emarni desperately and the vampire gave a sigh. She unlaced her black converse shoe and tugged it from her foot. Not even trying to aim, Emarni tossed the shoe at the demon.  
"What the hell?" Carolyn exclaimed. The shoe slammed into the demon's side and bounced off, not even leaving a dent. Quickly, Emarni unlaced her other shoe- might as well lose them both- and tossed it. It smacked the demon hard in the eye and he dropped Anna. She screamed as she fell through the sky.  
"Seraphina!" Okalala yelled as the girl fell away from him.  
"Little Brat!" Emarni shouted with a mix of delight and fear.  
"HELP ME!" Anna screamed. Maybe, Emarni thought, maybe I could save her. Find out about the locket, find out why she smelt of shapeshifter- after all, she was Bertrand's daughter. There was so much to learn. Emarni supposed she owed it to Bertrand.  
"MISS EMARNI!" Anna cried. The girl crashed into Emarni's arms and Emarni set the girl down on the ground.  
"RUN!" Carolyn ordered, grabbing Anna by the hand.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Much to her irritation, Emarni's feet kept slipping as they tore down the road. She wished that she hadn't thrown her shoes at Okalala. She kept stepping on pieces of broken glass and cigarette butts, dirt clinging to her feet. She was really going to need to wash her feet at some point.  
"We'll get you new shoes, Emsy, just stop moaning!" Carolyn snapped at her, purposely throwing a cigarette where Emarni was about to step. With a yelp, the cigarette burnt a small hole in Emarni's foot and she growled. According to Carolyn, none of Emarni's family had been killed- pity- but there had been some injuries. Malik was seriously injured, George was bleeding on the ground, her face burnt and Vlad wasn't moving when Carolyn last saw him.  
"And my Father?" Anna cried. Though, Emarni wouldn't admit it, she was curious too. Both vampires stared at the werewolf.  
"I don't know. I was busy, trying not to get burnt alive." Carolyn snapped at them.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked, clinging to Carolyn's back. The werewolf was being incredibly gallant to put up with the annoying child on her back. Emarni wouldn't be able to carry Anna for five minutes without ditching her in a gutter.  
"I can buy a new house." Emarni said. Not for either of the girls though. Just herself this time.  
"No point." Carolyn said, "The demons have got our scent." Their scent? What did they smell of collectively- wet dog, fresh blood and whatever the hell shapeshifter smelt like? Emarni sniffed her wrist and discovered that she smelt like something that had been left to burn. The trio had slowed to a stop.  
"Where do you suggest we go?" Emarni asked, looking to Carolyn for answers. The werewolf shrugged.  
"Maybe we could stay with my pack...?" Carolyn trailed off when she saw the expression on Emarni's face.  
"Anna." Emarni turned to the small girl and glared fiercely, "Who is your mother?" The small child was gasping for breath, double over and struggling for breath. Which was ironic because she was the only person that hadn't actually run- Carolyn had just put her down. Anna looked up at Emarni for just a second and said:  
"I don't know." Then, she returned to struggling for breath.  
"COME BACK, SERAPHINA!" Okalala roared in the distance, smashing cars up angrily. It was rather like watching a child throwing a tantrum because they had not got what they wanted.  
"How can you not know?" Emarni growled.  
"She left before I was born." Anna said. Then, the demon spotted them and gave a roar.  
"SHAPESHIFTERS!" Okalala pulled a face that looked almost like a grin.  
"Shapeshifters?" Carolyn raised an eyebrow and looked at Emarni suspiciously.  
"Probably means you." Emarni said, though now she was worried. Because now that she thought about it: Seraphina was a shapeshifter because the gene had been passed down from Elisabetta. But Emarni was even closer related to Elisabetta than Seraphina was so... What she had the shapeshifter gene too? And Malik? Though, now she remembered, Seraphina had medicine to increase her powers so... Emarni was confused.  
"I mean..." Carolyn said, "Are you sure you're not Seraphina?" She looked down at Anna, who shook her head. Tears came to her eyes as she became desperate.  
"I'm really not!" And Anna, the small girl who had never cried before, burst into tears, "I'm really, really, really not. I'm normal."  
"Where did you get the locket?" Emarni shook the girl by the shoulders.  
"It was my aunt's!" Anna sobbed.  
"If you were Seraphina." Emarni said, with interest, "I would be your aunt." Anna stopped crying and looked at the girl with wide eyes. Then, they had to run before the demon could crush them.

Carolyn's house wasn't a house; it was a small apartment in a run down block of flats, five floors off the ground. And after all the running, it was amusing for Emarni to watch Anna and Carolyn struggle up the five flights of stairs. They only made it up four flights before they were stopped. A young boy stood in front of them, blocking their path and frowned at them.  
"Carolyn, are you okay?" the boy asked. Ruffling the boy's hair, Carolyn gave him a sad look.  
"I'm sorry, Wolfie, but no." Carolyn said.  
"Wolfie?" Emarni frowned. She could have sworn she had heard the name somewhere before and couldn't place where.  
"Who are you?" Wolfie said, then he turned to Anna, "And you? Are you my new friend?" He smiled hopefully.  
"I'm Anna De Fortunesa." the small girl said.  
"And my name is Emarni Vaccaria." the older girl said. The boy stared back at Emarni with the exact same expression; as if he knew her from somewhere but wasn't sure where. At the exact same time, the pair realised where they knew each other.  
"You must be that werewolf boy who is related to Vladimir." Emarni said.  
"And you must be that Absolutuus-Mortuus girl who is related to Malik." Wolfie said, "Patrick warned me about you." Then, he returned to Anna, "You must be Princess Seraphina."  
"No!" Anna screamed, "I'm Anna De Fortunesa!" Looking taken aback, Wolfie edged away and went back inside.  
"Wolfie, who is it?" came Patrick's growl.  
"Nobody." Wolfie said and closed the door in their faces.  
"How do you know him?" Emarni asked, as they carried on up the stairs. She raced up the rest of the stairs and waited at the top for the other two to join. Obviously, she was immensely enjoying being the fittest out of the three of them; she would probably be the only one to survive if it came to another chase.  
"He's in my pack." Carolyn said, "His father, Patrick, turned me."

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Whilst the apartment was just as run down on the inside as it was on the outside, Emarni resisted the strong urge to make snide remarks. She knew that was her father's influence and she didn't want to be like him. Emarni knew that her father was an old coffin lodger and soon he would die! He had lived long enough. Anyway, Emarni did not intend to stay long. She showered quickly, using Carolyn's cheap shampoo and shower gel. Then, she was forced into cheap clothing- cheap jeans, a black t-shirt and converse sneakers. Carolyn's clothing was too big for her skinny frame. And slowly, bit by bit, Emarni began to realise how much she had. She had so many different outfits and she had barely ever worn the same thing twice.  
"How do you have so little clothes?" Emarni said, receiving a slap across the face.  
"I'm not a rich little mummy's girl, Precious Little Emsy-Wemsy!" Carolyn growled, claws sprouting from her fingernails.  
"I am not a rich little mummy's girl!" Emarni said, "My mother is dead and I have barely any money!" But she did have all her mother's money as well as her own, now stored in a bank account gathering interest, and a debit card. Admittedly, it had taken her a while to understand modern money or debit cards but she had adjusted. She was now more modern than most vampires of her age.  
"I'm sorry." Carolyn said, looking a little guilty, "About your mother."  
"Do not bother apologising. I did not care for my mother. She was a cruel woman." Emarni said, her hand going to where her golden locket sat in her pocket. It was ice against her skin. It was carefully stuck together using superglue that Emarni had found in Carolyn's kitchen- what was Carolyn using superglue... Actually, she did not want to know.  
"I am going to need some new clothes." Emarni sighed, "And some new shoes." She brushed a strand of her now pale brown hair- the semi permanent dye was beginning to wash out- behind her ear. After Emarni and Carolyn were changed, they turned to Anna. The small girl had mud flecked through her hair and purple slime smeared across her upper body. There was a cut on her lower neck where the demon's claw had dug into her skin.  
"You get to bath Princess SeraphAnna." Carolyn decided, "I'm going out." She didn't say where.

Much to her distaste, Emarni had no choice but to bath the girl. She went into the living room and found Anna knelt before the television, watching it in awe. Maybe it was the first time she had seen one. When she had first seen a television, Emarni had been utterly taken aback.  
"Anna, get up." Emarni instructed, grabbing the girl by the arm. She tugged the girl to her feet and the girl looked at her in surprise.  
"Where are we going?" Anna asked, as she was lead out of the room and into the bathroom.  
"You are covered in dirt and slime, so you are having a bath." Emarni said, "No arguments, Little Brat!" But she didn't raise her hand to hit her. Instead, she knelt beside the bath and turned the taps on. She began to pour bubble bath in and didn't stop because she liked the way it swirled around in the water. It looked pretty. She used up all the bubble bath.  
"Why did you leave my father?" Anna asked, "Did he upset you?"  
"No."  
"Did you upset him?"  
"No."  
"Then, why?"  
"Because I do not like people and he is a person." Emarni said, "Must you talk to me all the time?" So, Anna just stood silently, staring hard at Emarni. As the girl stared, Emarni began to grow uneasy. What was she looking at? Emarni did not look any different from usual, aside from the fact that she was wearing Carolyn's clothes. Her hair was slightly damp and obviously not blonde currently- in fact, it was worryingly close to her siblings' varying shades of hair. Her locket was around her neck, was Anna staring at that?  
"What are you looking at, you Little Brat?" Emarni snarled, her eyes darkening a little. She bared her fangs and the girl just shrugged at her.  
"I was just thinking how beautiful you are." Anna said, "I want to look like you when I grow up." Emarni scoffed. Maybe she could drown the girl in the bathtub.  
"I would not want to be like me." Emarni said, dipping her hand in the bath water. It was just hot enough that the girl would get scalded and just deep enough so that the girl might drown. She turned the taps off.  
"Come on, SeraphAnna." Emarni said, and the girl edged nervously towards her. She helped the girl pull her dress off over her head and pulled the girl's equally lacy socks. The girl made her look away while she pulled her underwear off and climbed into the bath.  
"Miss Emarni." Anna blurted out suddenly, as if she could not contain it anymore, "I'm a shapeshifter." She gave Emarni such a shock that the Vaccaria girl freaked out and shoved the other girl's head underwater. Gargling under the water, Anna protested. Emarni waited for a few moments before lifting the girl's head up again.  
"Agh- agh!" Anna choked, coughing up water.  
"What did you say?" Emarni demanded, her eyes flashing red.  
"I said- I'm a- a shape- shapeshifter." Anna said. All she got in return was her head being forced back underwater. Water filled her nose and throat, choking her slowly. Then, she was back above water and struggling for breath.  
"You are Seraphina." Emarni said in surprise, backing away from the girl quickly. She only stopped backing away when her body hit the wall.  
"You're my niece." Emarni said, "And you are worth millions." She paused, "Get out, get dressed. We are going out."  
"I'm not Seraphina." Anna protested weakly.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

What Emarni didn't quite realise was that Anna had swallowed quite a sufficient amount of water earlier on and it had been churning around in the girl's stomach ever since. As they walked through the darkness, Anna (or should she say Seraphina?) gripped her aunt's hand tighter. Every time Emarni glanced at the child, she felt even more stupid. How could she not have recognised the girl? She had the brown hair that Malik had and that Ingrid used to have. She had the hazel coloured eyes that Malik had. Her face was rather angular and distinguished, pointed chin and ears- genetic Vaccaria looks. She was tall too.  
"Miss Emarni." Seraphina tugged on her aunt's hand, "Tell me about our family." She looked up at Emarni with her beautiful dark eyes and Emarni couldn't stop the words spilling from her mouth.  
"Me and Malik- your father- we grew up in Romania. In a castle. Mother- your grandmother- was crazy. She spent all her time with Malik and barely spoke to me. Malik and I were kept apart all our lives so that Mother could marry us and have two Vaccarias on the throne. Malik was such a disappointment to Mother that she had me genetically engineered to be perfect." Emarni said, "Your great grandparents were Caedryn and Hylla. They were killed by Mother who was experimenting with Shadow Warriors, (they are a type of demon)." She managed to stop herself from talking when she ran out of things to say. The girl frowned, as if she had not expected so many bad things.  
"And on my Mother's side?" Seraphina asked, bracing herself for the answers.  
"Ingrid is horrible. She is always planning to kill everyone and flirting with everyone. You were conceived quite by accident." Emarni said, "Your grandfather, The Count, is a sexist idiot. He wanted you to be a boy so that he could have an heir. I have never met your grandmother on the other side but I have heard that she is even worse than Ingrid." The small child was paling, her face tinged a little green. She gripped at Emarni's hand tighter.  
"Where are we going?" Seraphina said, taking deep breaths. The truth was: Emarni wasn't sure. She was just following the trail of purple slime that Okalala had left. Looking back, she should've sent a note to The Council. Or they could just ask the Prophecy Sisters.  
"Just keep quiet, Little Brat!" Emarni hissed. They walked a little longer until Seraphina stopped suddenly. Her fingers wriggled free of Emarni's grip and she was violently sick in the gutter. That was when Emarni noticed the amount of water that Seraphina had swallowed and felt a little guilty. This was her brother's daughter after all, (and her sister's but she didn't want to think about that). Besides she wanted the girl in good condition for the demons. For a few moments the old Emarni made a reappearance.  
"Draga mea." she comforted, rubbing the girl between the shoulder blades, "O sa fii bine. You will be okay." Seraphina quivered, tears rushing down her pale face. She had never been sick before. When she was done, she pulled back and clung to Emarni, whimpering. Seraphina rubbed her mouth on the back of her hand.  
"Oh, Seraphina." her aunt said, wrapping an arm around the small girl.  
"Miss Emarni." Seraphina sobbed, hugging the girl tightly.  
"It is okay, Seraphina." Emarni sighed and for a moment, she regretted what she was going to do.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

The Prophecy Sisters resided in a cave in the mountains of Scotland and were currently the only chance that Emarni had of finding the Council Of Elders. She explained this to Seraphina, who nodded and tried not to think about the consequences. She knew that Emarni was going to give her to the Council in exchange for a Demon Ring. There were four Demon Rings: only one had been found and the Council of Elders supposedly had it. Emarni wanted it. They were supposedly the best weapons on earth and besides, the Draculas were already half way towards finding one of the other rings. Emarni wanted to end up on top. What she would do when she reached the top, Seraphina wasn't sure.  
"Wouldn't it be easier to swap me for the map that the Draculas have?" Seraphina asked. Her aunt Emarni was a very beautiful woman with good taste in clothes. She looked like one of those women that Anna used to cut out of fashion magazines; worryingly skinny and well dressed. Currently, Emarni was sitting cross legged in the back of a taxi with her hands resting upon her knees.  
"No point. I intend to murder the Draculas soon." Emarni shrugged.  
"Oh." was all Seraphina said in response. But inside, she felt a lot more. The mad girl was going to kill Anna's, uh, Seraphina's family, her parents! And she hadn't been met them yet. It was hard for her to refer to herself as Seraphina- she wasn't Princess Seraphina; she was Anna De Fortunesa not Seraphina Dracula.  
"I want to meet my Mother and Father, at least once." Seraphina said, "Please, Auntie Emarni." It slipped out of her mouth before Seraphina could stop it. She slapped both hands over her mouth and looked at her aunt in fear. Her aunt was sure to slap her now.  
"Do you know what your middle name is?" Emarni said, folding her hands in her lap. That surprised the small girl who was sitting beside her. She shook her head and looked up at the older girl.  
"Emarni. Seraphina Emarni Vaccaria Dracula." Emarni's lip twitched, a small smile playing on her lips, "Malik played around with your name a bit; Seffy, Seffy Em. He always called me Em." The girl sighed and Seraphina got the idea that her aunt was feeling troubled. Seraphina leaned against her aunt, daring to even wriggle onto the girl's lap. To her surprise, she was not shoved off. Instead, Emarni wrapped an arm around the girl and held her there.  
"You are lucky that you will never meet your family." was all she said.

They were forced to take a train from London to Scotland, there was no other way to get there. On the train, nobody spoke but everybody stared. Emarni didn't exactly try to blend in, wearing an odd mix of pitch black and baby pink. She liked buying new clothes, Seraphina could tell. The small girl sat beside Emarni, her feet not even touching the ground. Every now and then, she would glance at her aunt. To make sure that she was still there. From the look on Emarni's face, Seraphina could tell that her aunt was faraway, thinking of something awful. Perhaps the Council or her mad shape shifting mother or Carolyn or the amount of people that were out to kill her and take Seraphina. It must have been the last one because Emarni's hand moved to rest on her niece's shoulder. She pressed down her hand a little hard so that it hurt the girl. Seraphina winced and her aunt smiled.

There was a watch strapped to her aunt Emarni's left wrist and Seraphina found herself watching as the minutes ticked by slowly. It was nearly ten at night and they hadn't moved for about three hours. Seraphina wished that somebody would say something to her. She was in so much danger now and the longer she thought about it, the more scared that she was. She wanted reassurance. The train screeched to a sudden stop. A man from across the row looked up from his newspaper.  
"This isn't a station." he said aloud to everyone in the carriage. It was silent. In the carriage, there were seven humans as well as Emarni and Seraphina. Both the vampire and the shapeshifter looked at each other. Then, Emarni stood up and walked over to the door, Seraphina hot on her heels.  
"What are you doing, lady?" another man warned, "If the train starts and that door's open-"  
"Oh, shut up." Emarni rolled her eyes and wrenched the door open. She yanked it off it's hinges and threw it aside. She peered out.  
"She's a psychopath." a woman whispered. The train sat in silence, everyone waiting expectantly. Then, the train lurched forward and everybody screamed. Everyone except Emarni: she laughed.  
"Little Brat, take my hand." Emarni instructed and Seraphina did as she asked. The pair stood by the door, watching as the world sped past. It made Seraphina feel dizzy. There was a large thump.  
"SHAPESHIFTER!" something roared and a giant hand swiped inside the carriage. Again, everyone but Emarni screamed.  
"Seffy?" Emarni said, "When I say jump..." That was all she had to say. Seraphina nodded. A hand swiped at them again and they ducked. It occurred to Seraphina that her aunt had called her Seffy but she had no time to dwell on it.  
"JUMP!" Emarni yelled, as the train was going over a bridge. Before she could think about it, Seraphina leapt and gripped her aunt's hand. Then, they were falling into darkness.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY


	8. Chapter Eight

_Interesting fact: Seraphina's name actually comes from the highest rank of angels known as the Seraphim. I also considered naming her Solange but changed my mind. Have a nice day, my lovelies. Usual disclaimer. _

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

"Miss Vaccaria, how do you feel?" Julian had smiled eerily at her. His face was much too close to hers and she became suddenly aware that her arms were strapped to a chair. As were her legs, she realised when she tried to wriggle free.  
"You killed me." she gasped for breath. Death had been a sudden darkness, just a lot of nothingness followed by an incredibly bright light. And now she was here again, in the dungeon of her old castle.  
"But we brought you back." Julian argued, still smiling at her.  
"I saw a light." Emarni said, trying to wriggle free of the argentalium chains and failing, "It was beautiful."  
"I quite agree, Pretty One." Julian smiled softly at her. The girl had only vague memories of anything before the light. There was a lot of loud screaming and a lot of pain. It felt like a hundred stakes stabbing her at once, all over her body.  
"What did you do to me?" Emarni gasped, grabbing at her throat. She felt different to before she had slept.  
"We gave you life." Julian said, "Well, unlife." He smiled at her and his hand went to touch the girl's shoulder. His touch made her shiver. It was like being doused in freezing cold water.  
"HELP!" Emarni screamed, "MALIK, HE IS TOUCHING ME! MALIK!" Malik didn't come to her rescue. He never came to her rescue. Because:  
"He doesn't care about you." Julian smirked.

She didn't wake up all at once but rather bit by bit. First, she was aware of the buzzing of voices above her and she covered her ears in an attempt to block them out. Then, as her eyes began to peel open, she saw the bright light. After that, she became conscious of what she was lying on; soft, white sheets of Egyptian cotton. Nine hundred thread count, Emarni would say. She moved an arm to block out the light and found that there was a duvet draped over her. Several blankets were also layered on top of her, way too many blankets. The cotton was soft against Emarni's face.  
"I think she's coming around." said a surprisingly gentle voice. Deciding that she wasn't ready to face whatever it was, Emarni blocked out the light with her hand and tried to go back to sleep.  
"Miss Vaccaria?" the voice insisted on bugging her, "Can you hear me?"  
"Go away." Emarni wanted to yell but it came out as a groan.  
"Miss Vaccaria?" the voice said again. In the end, Emarni gave in and let her eyes fall open. She was somewhere white, positively glowing with white light. There were two figures standing over her.  
"Miss Vaccaria?" one of them said.  
"Awake." Emarni managed, forcing herself up. She narrowed her eyes and saw that one of the figures was a woman, the other was Julian. Emarni scowled. Then, she noticed that someone was absent.  
"Seraphina!" Emarni sat up properly, blinking quickly, "What have you done with my niece?" She grabbed Julian by the front of his shirt and pulled him up close to her face. She snarled in his ugly face.  
"Your niece is quite safe, Emarni." Julian smirked at her and she let him go.  
"Where am I?" Emarni demanded, "What happened?"  
"You jumped off a moving train that was on the middle of the bridge. It would be suicide for anything less than a vampire." Julian said, "You suffered quite a hit to the head on the way down." He pressed a hand to her forehead and smiled, as she winced. It hurt, like someone had smashed her head in with an axe. Like her entire head was crippled.  
"Though I don't suppose another hit could damage you anymore than the previous ones." Julian said, "We bandaged your head for you, Pretty One." Emarni tentatively touched a finger to her forehead and discovered that it was true, a thin linen bandage was tied around her head. No blood came away on her hand.  
"I want to see the Little Brat." Emarni insisted.  
"Why did you bring her here if you didn't want rid of her?" Julian asked. He was sitting on the end of her bed now, leaning back against the wall. He was looking at her with something that wasn't amusement for once. It was almost serious.  
"I want an exchange." Emarni said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She winced as Julian went to touch her hand, to hold it in his own.  
"Anything for you, Pretty One." Julian said, "What can I do for you? Perhaps rid you of the Bothersome One? Your brother that is. Or perhaps recover the Intelligent One for you?" He wouldn't let go of her hand, his skin crispy against hers. It rubbed against her soft skin like a grater rubbing against someone's finger, making it bleed. Emarni felt uncomfortable.  
"You mean, De Fortunesa?" she said, "I told him to leave, not the other way around." It bothered her that Julian did not know their names.  
"Oh, Pretty One. I know that he broke your precious heart." Julian said, stroking the skin on the back of her hand. How dare he flip this around and make it about Bertrand. How dare he make Bertrand sound like the villain!  
"He did not break my heart!" Emarni snapped. Shocked, Julian jerked backwards away from the girl. His hand slid from hers and she could not have been more grateful.  
"I sent him away and do not allow yourself to forget that. I saved him from me!" Emarni said. She crossed her arms. Whilst she wasn't aware of the woman leaving the room, she must've have done because she had returned.  
"Master, with respect, I must insist that you don't upset her." the woman said, "The poor sweetheart is not herself today, not after such a hit to the head."  
"Oh, do not be ridiculous!" Emarni was not in the mood for this. Both Julian and the woman were being creepily nice to her. What the hell was going on? Her enemies were being nicer to her than her family were.  
"I am not a sweetheart!" Emarni growled, "And there is nothing wrong with my head." With that, she threw the blankets off and leapt to her feet, only to fall back into Julian's lap. Her head span, the world spinning much too fast for her to keep up. It hurt behind her eyes, tears falling from them.  
"Now, now, Pretty One, be a good girl and do what we say. Or we will be forced to kill you. My interest in you is the only thing keeping you alive." Julian said, playing with a strand of the girl's hair, "Now, what do you want?" He let the tears roll down her face and onto her neck. Emarni squirmed in discomfort.  
"I want the Demon Ring. I heard you have one in your possession." Emarni said, cringing as his horrible fingers traced the curls in her hair. It made her feel so uncomfortable, having her hair played with- especially by such a creep. Her tears were absorbed by her ratty t-shirt.  
"Ah, the Rings of Ikhaso." Julian was amused, yet again, "Everyone has such an interest in them, Pretty One." He left her hair alone and instead began to trace the dead veins on her wrist. It made Emarni wince and he took that to mean that she liked it. She pulled herself off his lap, wriggling to the other side of the bed. When he tried to come closer, Emarni kicked him in the stomach.  
"Will you give it to me?" Emarni asked, "The Ring?"  
"I will certainly think about it." Julian promised her, "Now, Pretty One. How do you feel about needles?" He asked because the woman had one in her hand.  
"I hate needles." Emarni said, "I really, really hate them." The woman was going to inject her, Emarni just knew it, "I really, really, really, really hate them." The silver point glittered. She closed her eyes tight.  
"Let me hold your hand then." Julian said. Though she hated herself for it, then and later, Emarni allowed him to take her hand. She imagined that she was holding someone else's hand- perhaps Bertrand's large, familiar hand or Malik's leather clad one. And she squeezed his hand hard as a needle was rammed into her vein and a drug was pumped around her body. She passed out fast.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

She wasn't sure if she was awake or asleep. The dungeon was dark and damp. In the corner of the room, Emarni crouched and waited for it to stop. She kept seeing things. Horrible things that made her hurt.  
"Pretty One." a voice came, "Sweetheart?"  
"Mother?" Emarni sniffed. Her mother never called her sweetheart but she could hope. No, it was him again. He had come to bully her more; to hurt her, to beat her, to help her and kill her.  
"No, Pretty One." She saw his feet and felt his hand on her face.  
"Make it stop. Please make it stop." Emarni tugged hard on her own hair, "I cannot take this anymore." She sobbed, her eyes wide.  
"Here, here, Pretty One." Julian said, "I've got you."

When she woke up, Julian's arms were still around her. And she was still sobbing into him. She wanted to stop but she couldn't. The tears kept falling.  
"I've got you." Julian was oddly reassuring, holding her close.  
"I hate you." Emarni sobbed, "I hate you. I hate you! I HATE YOU!" She shoved him away and turned to face the wall. She hugged her knees to her chest and waited for it to stop. Tears stuck to her face and made her face feel damp and disgusting.  
"Just make it stop." Her head pounded.  
"Auntie Emarni?" There was somebody else at her bedside. A small child with an elf like face and long brown hair, staring at her with chocolate brown eyes. The child looked worried but not for herself, never for herself. Seraphina was incredibly selfless. Very slowly, Emarni turned to look at her. She rubbed the tears from her face furiously on her sleeve.  
"Auntie Emarni, thank goodness!" Seraphina smiled, taking her aunt's hand in her own.  
"Seffy?" Emarni said in confusion, "What is wrong?"  
"Oh, Auntie Emarni." Seraphina looked like she might weep, "I was so afraid that you had died." The girl leaned over and hugged her aunt tightly. She did not get up from her chair. After a moment, Seraphina let go of her aunt and leaned back.  
"I'm so sorry, Miss Emarni. I did not mean to hurt you. Punish me, if you will." Seraphina waited, her brown eyes shining with sorrow. How did she ever come to hate this child, Emarni wondered, as she stared at her niece's face. The child was so... Annoyingly perfect.  
"Oh, Seffy." was all Emarni could say. She couldn't apologise- she couldn't get the words out. More tears came to Emarni's eyes and she couldn't stop them.  
"You have slept for weeks." Seraphina said, "They would not let me see you. How's your head?" She looked pityingly at her aunt, her eyes drifting to the girl's head. Emarni looked up at her head and wondered what could be so bad about it.  
"It does not hurt unless I touch it." Emarni said, "How are you?"  
"Crippled for life." was all Seraphina said with a selfless shrug. The child really was bizarre.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

Lying down, Emarni had not noticed poor Seraphina's legs. But now, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, she saw the horror that was entirely her fault. The girl's legs were horrible scraped, layers of skin and flesh ripped off. Her left leg was bent at a horrible angle, her ankle turned outwards. She was wearing a dress so Emarni could see that the girl's thighs were horribly grazed too.  
"Holy rabies." Emarni whispered. She could see how it could have happened. As they had fallen, the pair must've smashed into the side of the brides, perhaps scraped a little against the train. Emarni had gotten away easily with a simple head injury because she was a full vampire/Absolutuus-Mortuus. But Seraphina was just a child. Her legs must've been scraped raw and then she must've fallen on them at a bad angle.  
"They don't think I'll be able to walk." Seraphina said, "Ever again. They're beyond repair." The girl tried to put on a brave front.  
"Seffy, I am so sorry." Emarni said. She felt horribly guilty for everyone she had done to the girl- her own niece! For everything from the name calling to the abuse to the drowning to the getting the girl's legs mauled.  
"I am such a terrible person. You will be better off with the demons." Emarni said, tears springing to her eyes. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.  
"The Council don't want me anymore." Seraphina laughed but she looked on the verge of crying too, "My shape shifting powers are wasted if I can only control from my waist up." The girl burst into tears and flung her arms around her aunt, the two of the crying on each other. It was nice for both of them to have someone to hold, someone to cry with. Someone that wasn't Julian.  
"I'm worthless!" Seraphina sobbed.  
"I am sorry that I have been so horrible to you." Emarni cried.  
"It's fine. I needed the discipline!"  
"I am planning to kill your parents!"  
"Just let me live with you after it happens!" They let go of each other and Emarni gave the girl a nod. She could make quite a companion out of the queer little girl, even if she was in a wheelchair. And the child was her niece after all. And...  
"I know what it is like. To be powerful but everything thinks little of it because you are damaged." Emarni said, "Everything thinks that because I am mad, I cannot do any real harm but I can. I will kill Chloe Branaugh first, she thinks so little of me. She treats me as if I am a child but I fixed her! I made her better." The girl smiled up at her, her dark eyes shining. The look in her eyes was almost admiration.

They stayed a while with the Council. It wasn't fun for Emarni, who was confined to her bed for a while because of her stupid head injury. And that creepy weirdo, Julian, kept calling her "Pretty" and promising her things that she had never dreamed of. She always turned his offers down- even when they were pretty amazing. He was so... The only word she could use was vague. She could never tell what he wanted and understand only half of what he said.  
"Pretty One." Julian asked one day, stroking the angular left cheekbone that the vampire possessed. She did not even attempt to hide her disgust, allowing his filthy fingers to trace the lines of her face. She wanted to slap him away but that would only encourage him further.  
"Yes?" Emarni replied, shivering as his fingers travelled down the side of her face and wrapped their way around her earlobe.  
"What makes human's human?" Emarni was thrown off, her mouth a little open. The demon simply did not say things like that. It was most out of character.  
"What do you mean?" she asked. The demon said nothing for a while, his hand still caressing the girl's ear. In disgust, Emarni shivered again and waited for an answer.  
"Is it the suffering?" Julian asked, "Is it the pain? The happiness?" His fingers moved from her ear, tumbling down her waterfall of curls. Emarni was unsure of how to answer his question. She thought for a while and then said:  
"I thought it was emotional bonds: friends, family." People that made you want to keep going, she added silently, people like her mother and Bertrand and Seraphina. Chloe and George and Ingrid. Malik.  
"Or maybe." Emarni said, as she thought of Chloe, "It is the way that other people interpret you." The Branaugh girl always saw Emarni as weak and broken, like a mirror that had been shattered. It angered the Vaccaria girl, who clenched her fists and scowled. Mentally, she shifted Chloe further up on her murder list. She would be easy to kill. Stupid half fang.  
"Interesting." Julian said, curling a lock of Emarni's hair around his finger, "Maybe you're not as stupid as you look." His fingers slid down her arm and wrapped around the girl's hand. He squeezed her hand and lifted it to his mouth. Gently, he kissed the back of her hand. Emarni couldn't stop herself kicking him hard in the shin.  
"Do you know why I brought you back? From the Neverrealm?" Julian said, his hand still resting in hers, "Because I wanted you to answer the question for me."  
"What on earth do you mean?" Emarni asked, watching as Julian's other hand slid into his pocket and drew something from it. The demon only winked at her as he slid the Demon Ring onto her finger. It glittered in the light.  
"I want something in return." Julian smirked.  
"Ugh." Emarni said, fully aware of what he had in mind. She leaned forward and pecked the demon on the cheek. His face burned her mouth. The smile on his face was incredibly irritating.

He was always there when she woke up from her nightmares. Tears would be clinging to Emarni's face like climbers on a cliff side and she would normally be shaking all over. The nightmares were scary because Emarni knew that they weren't really Nightmares. They were memories. One night- or was it day? Time slipped away quickly here- was worse than the others. She dreamt of her home, of her childhood. At first it was a good dream but it took a turn for the worse. She saw her mother's crippled body though she had never seen her mother die, Grayson's body as she had broken it open and pulled out his guts and her own... Her own death. Everything was bloody and horrible. It was her mind's twisted take on the events.  
"MALIK!" was the first thing Emarni cried out as she sat bolt upright.  
"Pretty, Pretty." Julian said, going to put his arms around her.  
"I do not want you!" Emarni cried, "I want my brother! I want... Malik..." She broke down in tears, determinedly pushing Julian away. She didn't want him. She wanted Malik.  
"What did you see?" Julian said.  
"Death." Emarni choked, "So much death." She wrapped her arms around herself. Slowly, she rocked back and forth. The room swung backwards and forwards in synchronisation. Emarni rocked a little faster, enjoying the speed.  
"Emarni." Malik said, "Stop doing that. You're acting like a crazy person." She looked up, expecting to see her brother. Only Julian sat there with an amused expression.  
"Malik?" Emarni said, looking around. He wasn't there. But she definitely heard her voice.  
"Maybe I could..." Julian murmured to himself, "No, I..." He got up and wandered away. Leaving Emarni on her own, pressed up against the wall. Her legs curled underneath her.  
"Malik?" she called out on last time. It was silent. Her brother was not here. But she was so sure that she had heard him.

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

For a while, Emarni was restricted to her bed and the woman would come and check on her head for her occasionally. She never found out anything more about the woman, even after the woman was murdered by Emarni and hidden in the wardrobe at the other side of Emarni's room. They wouldn't have found the body if it hadn't began to decay. In her spare time, and she had a lot of it, Emarni liked to play around with the Ring's powers. If she held out her arm straight with the back of her hand facing upwards, snow began to fall from the ceiling in gentle waves. If she swept an arm to one side angrily, a flurry of ice and snow would burst from the Ring. If she had the Ring on and she rested her hand upon an object, the said object would slowly freeze over. The more she practiced, the better Emarni grew at controlling the Ring. Nobody came to visit her so she was left to experiment. Until the day that Seraphina had turned up, wringing her hands together nervously.  
"Auntie Emarni?" she said, pushing the door open, "Woah!" One of the wheels on her chair skidded on the icy floor and she nearly fell out of her chair. Still wearing the Ring, Emarni threw out her arm and with a twist of the wrist, Seraphina was knocked back into her chair.  
"What have you done?" Seraphina asked, in wonder and in fear.  
"Only what I intend to do to the world." Emarni said. She slid the Ring up and down her finger, smiling as ice sparkled in a curtain around her. Looking around, Seraphina grew nervous.  
"This is madness." she said, "The world would descend into chaos. People would die." Snowflakes glittered in her dark hair, falling on her gently. One fell into her hand and she stroked the delicate creature, her fingers tickled by the cold. She could see her own breath.  
"Do not worry, Seffy. You will be safe with me." Emarni said in a voice so calm that it was creepy.  
"This is wrong." was all Seraphina would say, "So, so wrong!"  
"On the contrary." that was Julian's voice, "Chaos is wonderful. You'll soon learn to love it, dear Seraphina." He rested a hand on the young girl's shoulder and Seraphina jumped. She hadn't seen him come into the room.  
"You cannot teach me what to love." Seraphina spat. And with that, the girl rolled herself from the room, huffing in anger all the way.  
"Anger is beautiful." Emarni said, as ice sprung from her fingertips, "Fear is beautiful. Emotion is beautiful." The ice stuck up like freezing needles. Emarni thought of needles, that made her think of her mother and the snow stopped falling. The ice melted into puddles. The heat returned to the room.  
"My, my." Julian said, "There is something wrong with your head, isn't there?"  
"There is nothing wrong with me!" Emarni screamed at him, "Except for the fact that I am trapped in this hellhole and you will not let me leave!" Julian smirked.  
"Can you believe this idiot?" Malik said, "Look at his smug little face. I just want to punch his ugly face in." Again, she heard her brother's voice filled with venom for the demon. She looked up, around her icy room, and saw nothing. Where was her brother's voice coming from?  
"Pretty?" Julian said, "What are you looking at?"  
"Nothing." Emarni sighed.  
"You were looking at something." Julian frowned, grabbing her chin in his hand. He lifted her head so that she was looking him in the eyes. She had an urge to tell her everything.  
"I thought I heard my brother." Emarni said, honestly.  
"Your brother's not here." Julian told her, studying her face.  
"I know that." Emarni replied. Taking her by the arm, Julian helped her to her feet and led her carefully from the room.

Another person came to check on Emarni, a man this time. He did more tests, more scans and gave more jabs to her than the woman ever did. He tried to be nice to her.  
"Hello." the man said, upon entering the room that Emarni had been moved to. He looked her over, taking in her new clothes that Julian had given her, the lower lip that she was chewing and the hands that she was wringing together nervously. Emarni was knelt silently in the corner of the room, her head lowered. Her hair fell in two loose braids over her shoulders.  
"You must be the wonderful Miss Emarni that I've been told about." the man smiled at her. He stared at her did a little too long.  
"I expected you to talk more." the man said.  
"Did Julian tell you about the last nurse he hired?" Emarni said.  
"Yes. An unfortunate accident." the man said, "You must call me Jem." He held out a hand and she ignored it.  
"Are you going to try to be my friend?" Emarni said, "Because I do not have friends. Not... Anymore." She rested her head on her knees, pressing her eyes closed. Sighing, she forced her hands together, wringing her fingers together.  
"Why not?" Jem said.  
"Because I only had one friend." Emarni said, "Katherine. She likes me no longer." was still offering her a hand and finally she took it. Gently, he pulled her to feet and supported her back, guiding her over to the bed. Treating her as if she were made of glass, Jem helped the girl sit down.  
"I've treated vampires in worse condition than you." Jem told her. Looking at him, Emarni sat down and crossed her legs.  
"It's not uncommon for vampires to be... Mentally ill." Jem said, "Especially for ones with difficult backgrounds." Emarni growled at him, flashing her fangs at him.  
"There is nothing wrong with my head. I do not know what Julian has told you but I am a strong independent woman. I do not need support. If you want to help someone, my niece Seraphina is just down the hall with crippled legs. And my brother has anger issues. Maybe you should be talking to one of them instead." Emarni said, "But I assure you that there is nothing wrong with me." She rested a hand on each knee and gave a shrug. Staring into the girl's huge green eyes, Jem leant forward and gave a serious look.  
"Then, why on earth am I here, Miss Emarni?"

THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY - THE ANGELS WILL ALWAYS CRY

_Please read and review, my lovelies. _

_- Angels xox_


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